NAICS 23

Construction in Lafayette, LA

Metro Market Score 63.4 (Difficult), ranked #304 of 342 metros. 1,275 establishments, 9,634 jobs.

Metro Market Score 63.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Lafayette's construction sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 5.0). That contraction, combined with a 63.4 market score, puts this metro in the bottom quartile for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

59.9

LQ: 1.04

Rank #205 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

46.5

$71,657 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 5.0

Employment growth index

Rank #326 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

41.5

YoY wage change index

1,275 Construction Firms in Lafayette

1,275

Establishments

-8.0% YoY

9,634

Total Employment

-7.3% YoY

$71,657

Average Annual Wage

+7.6% YoY

1.04

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Louisiana

#8 of 8

construction metros in state

Louisiana state rank

#41 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+11.4

worse than median (52.0)

Lafayette vs Louisiana Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Louisiana overall. The state ranks #41/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Lafayette	LA Statewide
Overall Score	63.4 Difficult	53.6 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#304 of 342 metros	#41 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Lafayette

Finance and Insurance 60.6 Accommodation and Food Services 62.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 62.8 Retail Trade 71.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 77.6

Construction in Other Louisiana Metros

Monroe 26.3 #22/342 Hammond 29.7 #38/342 Lake Charles 49.1 #181/342 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington 50.3 #198/342 Shreveport-Bossier City 52.0 #213/342 Alexandria 54.4 #236/342 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux 58.3 #274/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Lafayette's 63.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Sioux City, IA 63.4 #302/342 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 63.4 #303/342 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 63.5 #305/342 Midland, TX 63.3 #301/342 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 63.2 #300/342 Salem, OR 63.0 #299/342 Pueblo, CO 64.1 #306/342 Terre Haute, IN 64.1 #307/342 Chico, CA 64.2 #308/342 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 64.3 #309/342

Construction in States Bordering Louisiana

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Arkansas 34.3 #8/51 Texas 46.3 #29/51 Mississippi 50.8 #36/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Lafayette's construction sector, the employment growth component (95.0) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Lafayette, LA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment