Washington state’s construction industry boomed over the past 12 months and industry advocates are concerned about that continuing given recent decisions coming out of the White House.

Four thousand construction jobs were created in the state between December 2023 and December 2024, according to a release of the Associated General Contractors. That’s more new jobs in the industry than any other of the 37 states and District of Columbia that saw construction job growth.

Of the 10 states that lost construction jobs, California lost the most with 12,400 jobs, followed by New York (-7,400 jobs), Maryland (-3,900 jobs), Arizona (-2,900 jobs) and Oregon (-2,500 jobs).

“Many firms are counting on strong public-sector demand this year and plan to hire as a result,” said Jeffrey Shoaf, the association’s chief executive officer, in a news release. “But possible federal funding pauses and efforts to curtail lawful work authorizations could impact future hiring plans for many firms.”

The association also urged the Trump administration to support increased funding for construction education and training programs and temporary visa programs dedicated to construction to ensure there are enough people to keep pace with demand for economic development and infrastructure projects.

“While it is unclear what impact this new funding pause will have, we do know that any significant delays in federal funding for vital infrastructure and construction projects are likely to affect construction schedules,” Shoaf said. “Moving forward, we hope the administration will work to narrow a massive federal funding gap that promotes four-year colleges over rewarding careers in fields like construction.”