Upstate Ranks No. 5 for Women in Construction Workforce

The Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro ranks No. 5 among the 100 major U.S. metros in the analysis for female representation in the construction workforce, with women making up 14.6 percent of construction employees. For reference, the national share is now at 11.7 percent.

According to a report by Construction Coverage, the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro employs 4,597 women vs. 26,799 men in construction, highlighting persistent gender imbalance despite gradual gains.

Full-time construction workers in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro earn a median of $53,735 annually, underscoring construction as a relatively high-paying career path for women.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up 81.4 percent of the construction industry’s office and administrative roles. They also are more highly concentrated in professional, sales, and management roles compared to other occupations in the sector.

However, female representation is significantly lower in roles traditionally associated with fieldwork. Only 4.1 percent of transportation positions and 4 percent of construction and extraction roles are filled by women. The share of employment is even lower in maintenance and repair jobs, as well as production roles, where women account for just 3.7 percent and 3.1 percent of workers, respectively.