• While overall employment in the State of Connecticut increased 5.93% between 1997 and 2002, employment within the construction industry rose by 19.80%, creating 12,659 new construction jobs and 130 new construction establishments in 5 years.

• Construction employees in Connecticut made $39,859 on average in 2002, compared to $35,352, the national average salary in 2002 for construction workers across the United States.

• Construction workers in Connecticut saw a salary increase of 13.43% from 1997-2002, compared to the average salary increase construction workers across the United States, which increased by 14.97%. 

• The number of businesses in Connecticut dropped from 76,539 in 1997 to 75,347 in 2002, a decrease of -1.56%.  Construction establishments in Connecticut however, increased by 1.44% from 9,057 in 1997 to 9,187 in 2002.

• According to Union Membership and Coverage Database, available at www.unionstats.com, in 2006, only 16.7 percent of Connecticut’s private construction workforce belonged to a construction trade union.  That means that approximately 83 out of 100 Connecticut’s private construction workers do not belong to a labor union.

Data are from the U.S. Bureau of the Census except where noted.

• The dollar threshold amount for contract coverage under state prevailing wage laws in Connecticut is $400,000 for new construction and $100,000 for remodeling.