NAICS 23

Construction in Jefferson City, MO

Metro Market Score 50.8 (Challenging), ranked #201 of 342 metros. 498 establishments, 4,499 jobs.

Metro Market Score 50.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Jefferson City's construction market sits near the national metro median, ranking #201 of 342 with a market score of 50.8. No single metric stands out as an outlier, which means entry conditions depend more on your specific business model than on broad market forces.

Industry Concentration

65.5

LQ: 1.10

Rank #224 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

42.7

$70,946 avg wage

Growth Trend

45.9

Employment growth index

Rank #186 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

37.4

YoY wage change index

498 Construction Firms in Jefferson City

498

Establishments

+2.3% YoY

4,499

Total Employment

+1.4% YoY

$70,946

Average Annual Wage

+5.9% YoY

1.10

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Missouri

#4 of 6

construction metros in state

Missouri state rank

#43 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (50.8)

Jefferson City vs Missouri Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Missouri overall. The state ranks #43/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Jefferson City	MO Statewide
Overall Score	50.8 Challenging	54.6 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#201 of 342 metros	#43 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 Jefferson City

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 31.7 Administrative and Support Services 49.5 Retail Trade 51.7

Construction in Other Missouri Metros

Columbia 19.8 #11/342 Joplin 29.0 #33/342 Springfield 40.6 #111/342 St. Joseph 56.0 #254/342 Kansas City 57.9 #271/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Jefferson City's 50.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Manchester-Nashua, NH 50.7 #200/342 Bloomington, IL 50.9 #202/342 Pittsburgh, PA 50.9 #203/342 Peoria, IL 50.9 #204/342 Redding, CA 50.9 #205/342 Casper, WY 51.0 #206/342 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 51.1 #207/342 Mankato, MN 51.1 #208/342 Abilene, TX 50.3 #199/342 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA 50.3 #198/342

Construction in States Bordering Missouri

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

Nebraska 32.5 #5/51 Iowa 34.3 #7/51 Arkansas 34.3 #8/51 Tennessee 34.8 #10/51 Kentucky 39.8 #19/51 Illinois 49.1 #34/51 Kansas 51.5 #38/51 Oklahoma 52.2 #39/51

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 Jefferson City's construction sector, the industry concentration component (65.5) 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 Jefferson City, MO MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment