Georgia was named the top state for construction, according to the Association Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) Building America: The Merit Shop Scorecard, an annual ranking of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia based on policies, programs and priorities that create an environment conducive to the construction industry’s needs. Florida, Arkansas, Wisconsin and Indiana rounded out the scorecard’s Top 5.
The overall rankings were determined through a combined score based on seven criteria: project labor agreement (PLA) mandates, wage laws, right to work laws, prevalence of public-private partnerships (P3s), encouragement of high-quality training and certifications for the construction workforce, support of career and technical education (CTE) and job growth rate. ABC has completed the Merit Shop Scorecard annually since 2015 to track states’ progress in areas that impact construction growth and success.
2023 is the first year that Georgia took the top spot in the survey, moving up from ranking third in 2022. The state continues to heavily focus on workforce development and hiring, and it can boast that 99% of its career and technical education students earn a credential or continue to a career in their field.
Florida, which ranked second this year, has placed in the Top 10 since the inception of the scorecard due to its favorable policy environment that preserves fair and open competition and fosters a pipeline of skilled workers.
“Commonsense conditions, policies and educational systems are vital in creating quality infrastructure built safely, efficiently and effectively for taxpayers,” Ben Brubeck, ABC’s Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs, said in a recent press release.
The Top 10 states for construction were as follows:
- Georgia
- Florida
- Arkansas
- Wisconsin
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Mississippi
To view the full Scorecard, visit meritshopscorecard.org.
