NAICS 23

Construction in Charlottesville, VA

Metro Market Score 52.9 (Challenging), ranked #223 of 342 metros. 640 establishments, 5,084 jobs.

Metro Market Score 52.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Charlottesville's construction sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 3.2). That contraction, combined with a 52.9 market score, puts this metro in the lower half for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

28.4

LQ: 0.85

Rank #97 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

43.6

$71,045 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 3.2

Employment growth index

Rank #332 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

29.4

YoY wage change index

640 Construction Firms in Charlottesville

640

Establishments

-12.0% YoY

5,084

Total Employment

-9.4% YoY

$71,045

Average Annual Wage

+2.6% YoY

0.85

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Virginia

#3 of 3

construction metros in state

Virginia state rank

#18 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+5.8

worse than median (47.1)

Charlottesville vs Virginia Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Virginia overall. The state ranks #18/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Charlottesville	VA Statewide
Overall Score	52.9 Challenging	39.0 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#223 of 342 metros	#18 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 Charlottesville

Finance and Insurance 57.0 Information 57.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 57.3 Retail Trade 59.8 Accommodation and Food Services 66.9 Other Services 68.6

Construction in Other Virginia Metros

Harrisonburg 38.2 #89/342 Lynchburg 47.1 #165/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Charlottesville's 52.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Naples-Marco Island, FL 52.9 #224/342 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 52.9 #225/342 Reno, NV 52.8 #222/342 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA 53.0 #226/342 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 53.0 #227/342 Birmingham, AL 52.6 #221/342 Topeka, KS 52.6 #220/342 Coeur d'Alene, ID 52.6 #219/342 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY 53.2 #228/342 Gettysburg, PA 53.4 #229/342

Construction in States Bordering Virginia

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

Tennessee 34.8 #10/51 Maryland 35.0 #12/51 North Carolina 38.2 #15/51 Kentucky 39.8 #19/51 West Virginia 49.5 #35/51 District of Columbia 56.9 #45/51

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 Charlottesville's construction sector, the employment growth component (96.8) 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 Charlottesville, VA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment