Despite cooling demand in U.S. construction—with spending down in interest-rate-sensitive sectors like housing and commercial development, and nearly 80% of contractors reporting hiring challenges—the industry’s labor gap remains significant: the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) estimates a shortfall of 439,000 workers in 2025.

Amid these labor market pressures, construction wages are rising, but not as much as one might expect—and gains vary by state and occupation. In North Carolina, the fastest increases cluster in specific trades, while others have seen far less progress.

In the 2025 edition of their Construction Jobs With the Fastest-Growing Wages report, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify how wages are trending across the construction industry nationally, by state, and by specific occupation.

Here are the five construction jobs with the fastest-growing wages in North Carolina:

And here are some other key takeaways from the report:

• Wages Up, Purchasing Power Down: In 2024, construction and extraction workers earned a mean annual wage of $63,920, up 21.6% from 2019 in nominal terms but down 0.9% after adjusting for inflation.
• West Coast Advantage: California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada combine high wages with strong growth, each topping $69,000 in cost-of-living-adjusted wages and posting 2.6–4.5% real gains since 2019.
• Fastest-Growing Paychecks: Out of all construction jobs, quarry rock splitters (+10.2%), construction helpers (+7.5%), and paving equipment operators (+7.1%) posted the strongest inflation-adjusted wage gains over the past five years.

The full report covers all 50 U.S. states, with breakdowns of the fastest-growing construction occupations in each location—including five-year wage changes (nominal and inflation-adjusted), mean wages in 2024 vs. 2019, and total employment. We’ve also included a link to high-resolution, downloadable graphics at the bottom of this email.

Two tropical systems off the Carolina coast could dramatically shift paths next week due to a rare weather phenomenon called the Fujiwhara effect.

As of the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Humberto has formed, while a nearby system, Invest 97L, is likely to be named Imelda soon. If both systems move within 900 miles of each other, they could begin rotating around a common center — a rare phenomenon that can send one storm surging toward land while the other is flung out to sea.

Potential Impacts for the Carolinas

• If Humberto dominates, Invest 97L could veer toward Bermuda.

• If Invest 97L takes over, Humberto may be flung west toward North Carolina.

Forecasters say a powerful cold front in the Atlantic could also influence the systems’ movements, making predictions challenging.

Although neither system is currently forecast to make landfall, conditions could change rapidly. The Carolinas may see impacts early next week depending on how the storms interact.

Residents are urged to monitor updates from the National Hurricane Center and local emergency officials as the storms evolve.

Officials are also recommending that all North Carolina residents prepare for possible power outages from hurricane damage. The following emergency items are suggested for all homes in our our state;

• Car charger for cell phones and other devices
• Clean drinking water (recommended 1 gallon per person per day, minimum three days)
• Flashlights 
• Batteries: Extra batteries for all of your devices
• Weather radio/clock
• Non-perishable food
• First aid kit

Yet another earthquake struck the North Carolina rainforest today, bringing the total to 5 quakes in just the past month. Today’s quake had a magnitude of 2.1 and a shallow depth of 0.5 km, according to USGS.

The largest quake struck this past Wednesday, with a magnitude of 2.2 at 9:12am (UTC). The quake also had an extremely shallow depth of 0.1 km and an epicenter of 35.150°N 82.923°W, just west of Rosman, NC, in the heart of the NC rainforest.

Earthquakes have been increasing in frequency around the Charlotte region over the past few years. Last year, we experienced the largest earthquake in over 100 years when a 5.1 magnitude quake hit Sparta, NC, and since then, dozens of aftershocks have continued to rattle our state.

According to USGS.gov, “Moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two.”

Have you felt any of the quakes?