For the first time, Georgia has been named the top state for construction in Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC’s) annual Merit Shop Scorecard.
The scorecard, released yearly since 2015, ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on policies and programs that strengthen career pathways in construction, encourage workforce development, and advocate for fair and open competition on taxpayer-funded construction projects.
The 2023 Building America: The Merit Shop Scorecard rates state laws, programs, policies, and statistics in seven categories: project labor agreements, prevailing wage laws, right-to-work laws, public-private partnerships, workforce development, career and technical education, and job growth rate.
Georgia’s construction industry continues to prosper, and it earned the top spot due to the state’s continued dedication to workforce development. This year, 99 percent of career and technical education students in the state earned a credential and/or continued to a career. Along with inclusive policies welcoming to the construction industry, Georgia’s construction employment continues to grow. Georgia claimed third in the 2022 rankings.
Among the top five, Florida followed Georgia in second, Arkansas ranked third, Wisconsin ranked fourth, and Indiana ranked fifth. Rounding out the top 10 states are Iowa, Kentucky, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, respective of their place in the ranking.
The bottom five states, in ranking order, included Hawaii, Rhode Island, New York, the District of Columbia, and Washington.
