NAICS 23

Construction in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT

Metro Market Score 61.4 (Difficult), ranked #293 of 342 metros. 5,714 establishments, 56,171 jobs.

Metro Market Score 61.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Market conditions for construction in Salt Lake City-Murray are tougher than average. The 61.4 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, mixed growth signals, and an already crowded field. Rank: #293 of 342 metros.

Industry Concentration

81.6

LQ: 1.31

Rank #279 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

74.3

$78,056 avg wage

Growth Trend

50.6

Employment growth index

Rank #170 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

38.1

YoY wage change index

5,714 Construction Firms in Salt Lake City-Murray

5,714

Establishments

+1.8% YoY

56,171

Total Employment

+1.9% YoY

$78,056

Average Annual Wage

+6.2% YoY

1.31

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Utah

#4 of 5

construction metros in state

Utah state rank

#22 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+6.3

worse than median (55.1)

Salt Lake City-Murray vs Utah Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Utah overall. The state ranks #22/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Salt Lake City-Murray	UT Statewide
Overall Score	61.4 Difficult	40.1 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#293 of 342 metros	#22 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 Salt Lake City-Murray

Healthcare and Social Assistance 41.2 Accommodation and Food Services 44.2 Other Services 52.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 56.7 Finance and Insurance 61.8 Retail Trade 62.5 Information 67.8 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 69.4 Administrative and Support Services 72.8

Construction in Other Utah Metros

Logan 33.4 #58/342 St. George 38.6 #93/342 Provo-Orem-Lehi 55.1 #249/342 Ogden 65.9 #316/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Salt Lake City-Murray's 61.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 61.5 #294/342 Youngstown-Warren, OH 61.3 #292/342 Urban Honolulu, HI 61.6 #295/342 Fond du Lac, WI 61.7 #296/342 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL 61.1 #291/342 Omaha, NE 61.0 #290/342 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 60.9 #289/342 Kennewick-Richland, WA 60.8 #288/342 Corpus Christi, TX 60.5 #287/342 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 60.5 #286/342

Construction in States Bordering Utah

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

Arizona 38.6 #16/51 Nevada 39.8 #20/51 New Mexico 47.4 #31/51 Colorado 53.2 #40/51 Idaho 58.4 #48/51 Wyoming 59.3 #49/51

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 Salt Lake City-Murray's construction sector, the industry concentration component (81.6) 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 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment