Washington saw biggest construction job loss in U.S. over past year
Aug 4, 2025, 5:03 AM | Updated: 11:08 am
Construction along the Seattle waterfront. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Washington lost more construction jobs than any other state in the past year, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.
The state saw 11,300 construction jobs plummet from June 2024 to June 2025, the media outlet reported Thursday, citing analysts by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
“There’s no question that developers have pulled back,” AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson told The Puget Sound Business Journal. “Or, the banks have pulled in the lending chain on them.”
Remote work potentially impacted construction jobs
A third of the job losses were concentrated in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area. At the same time, Seattle’s office vacancy rate climbed to nearly 30% amid ongoing remote work, lessening the value of office buildings.
The largest construction projects in the area are the Microsoft Campus renovation, the East Link extension, and the Spring District in Bellevue, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.
Meanwhile, the median price of a Seattle home has reached a new high.
The greater Seattle area now has the third-highest “median” home sale price of any metro area in the nation.
That report lists the Seattle area’s median home price as $766,725. However, that includes homes throughout King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.
In Seattle itself, we’re now above $1 million,” John Manning, managing broker for REMAX Gateway, said.
More specifically, he said, “The last time I looked, about two weeks ago, it was at $1,000,035.”
Contributing: Heather Bosch, KIRO Newsradio
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