Seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment increased in 43 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in seven states from May to June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Over the past 12 months, employment increased everywhere except Michigan and South Carolina. Construction employment showed a similarly strong pattern, rising in 45 states plus DC, remaining virtually unchanged in New Jersey and North Dakota, and falling only in South Carolina (-3%), Michigan (-0.7%), and Ohio (-0.3%). As usual, the biggest gain was in Nevada (16%), closely followed by Idaho (15%), Arizona (12%), and West Virginia (10%).

BLS reported on the number of workers and median weekly earnings by sex and occupation in the second quarter on Wednesday. Among 7,061,000 full-time wage and salary workers in construction and extraction occupations, 6,873,000 (97%) were men, who earned an average of $599 per week. The 188,000 women averaged $406 per week.