NAICS 23

Construction in Asheville, NC

Metro Market Score 56.7 (Challenging), ranked #263 of 342 metros. 1,796 establishments, 9,786 jobs.

Metro Market Score 56.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Asheville's construction sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 4.4). That contraction, combined with a 56.7 market score, puts this metro in the bottom quartile for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

55.9

LQ: 1.01

Rank #191 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

25.7

$66,554 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 4.4

Employment growth index

Rank #328 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

38.1

YoY wage change index

1,796 Construction Firms in Asheville

1,796

Establishments

-11.5% YoY

9,786

Total Employment

-7.5% YoY

$66,554

Average Annual Wage

+6.2% YoY

1.01

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within North Carolina

#14 of 14

construction metros in state

North Carolina state rank

#15 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+17.4

worse than median (39.4)

Asheville vs North Carolina Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to North Carolina overall. The state ranks #15/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Asheville	NC Statewide
Overall Score	56.7 Challenging	38.2 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#263 of 342 metros	#15 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 Asheville

Finance and Insurance 59.2 Information 64.8 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 65.0 Retail Trade 72.8 Other Services 75.1 Accommodation and Food Services 85.4

Construction in Other North Carolina Metros

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 19.7 #10/342 Greenville 29.9 #40/342 Durham-Chapel Hill 31.9 #52/342 Winston-Salem 35.4 #67/342 Wilmington 35.6 #68/342 Goldsboro 36.6 #73/342 Jacksonville 37.8 #83/342 Pinehurst-Southern Pines 39.4 #102/342 Greensboro-High Point 43.0 #128/342 Rocky Mount 43.5 #134/342

+ 3 more metros. View all in North Carolina →

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Asheville's 56.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Waterbury-Shelton, CT 56.6 #262/342 Kokomo, IN 56.5 #261/342 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 56.4 #260/342 Albany, OR 56.4 #259/342 Colorado Springs, CO 56.2 #258/342 Paducah, KY 57.3 #264/342 Albuquerque, NM 56.1 #257/342 Raleigh-Cary, NC 56.1 #256/342 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC 56.0 #255/342 St. Joseph, MO 56.0 #254/342

Construction in States Bordering North Carolina

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

Tennessee 34.8 #10/51 Virginia 39.0 #18/51 Georgia 42.1 #25/51 South Carolina 47.0 #30/51

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 Asheville's construction sector, the employment growth component (95.6) 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 Asheville, NC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment