The stagnation and declines that have affected the nation’s construction industry since January may be starting to rear their head in the Tri-Cities. 

According to the latest analysis of construction workforce data by the Association of General Contractors of America (AGC), the Tri-Cities had 11,600 construction jobs in June, 100 fewer than a year prior.  

That’s a much smaller decline than many other parts of the state but AGC officials said the ongoing issues regarding tariff and trade uncertainty, paired with high interest rates, are putting builders in a holding pattern or leading them to cancel projects entirely. 

“The more uncertainty there is, the less likely developers are going to invest in significant new construction projects,” said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, the association’s CEO, in a statement. “The more this administration can do to provide economic certainty, the more likely demand for construction will rebound.” 

Only 180 of the 360 metro areas for which the government discloses construction employment data added construction jobs in the latest 12 months as of June, AGC officials said. That’s 35 fewer metros than a year ago.  

Construction spending totaled $2.14 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in June. That’s 0.4% below the May rate and 2.9% lower than the June 2024 level. 

Until recently, the Tri-Cities had seen its construction labor pool grow year over year. The recent decline may result from projects being completed and new ones not being started. 

“As more structures that broke ground in past years reach completion, it is likely that industry employment growth will taper off even more,” said Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist, in a statement.