According to ABC, the ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on policies and programmes that, 鈥渂etter career pathways in construction, further workforce development and strengthen fair and open competition on taxpayer-funded construction projects.鈥�

It considers state laws, programmes, policies and statistics in seven categories: project labour agreements (PLA), prevailing wage laws, right-to-work laws, public-private partnerships, workforce development, CTE (career and technical eduction) and job growth rate.

Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Florida took home spots two through five, respectively, but who did ABC rank as number one?

Wisconsin named 鈥榯op state鈥� for construction by ABC

A tower crane does work to the top of the Couture building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US. Wisconsin was ranked the 鈥渢op鈥� US state for construction by the Associated Builders and Contractors. (Image: Adobe Stock)

The Great Lakes region state is regularly near the top of ABC鈥檚 annual list, but the trade association said labour-related policy in the state made it the a preferred choice for the one-spot on the Merit Shop Scorecard.

ABC said, 鈥淲isconsin鈥� takes the top spot for the highest scores on fair and open competition policies prohibiting government-mandated project labour agreements, ensuring market-driven wages on public works jobs and protecting workers with its right-to-work law.鈥�

Newsweek鈥檚 鈥楳ost Responsible鈥� US companies list includes contractors and OEMs Newsweek revealed it鈥檚 listing of 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Most Responsible鈥� companies

The organisation added that the state showed a sustained level of positive job growth in construction, with a five-year job growth rate of 4.4%, and continued commitment to quality career and technical education, delivering a 97.4% graduation rate for students in career technical education programs and a 91.4% rate of postsecondary CTE students placed in careers and/or apprenticeship programs.

Further, ABC said Wisconsin has a workforce development pipeline that delivers a construction labour supply over 100% of demand amidst a 鈥渟evere nationwide construction labour shortage.鈥�

Other 鈥榯op鈥� states on ABC鈥檚 scorecard

An aerial view of suburban Florida, US. The region is one of the fastest growing in the US, and ABC credited the state for maintaining a focus on 鈥渋nnovative career-centred education opportunities.鈥� (Image: Adobe Stock)

Arkansas, Florida, Arizona, and Indiana maintained high placement compared to last year, ABC said.

Regarding Florida, Arizona, and Indiana, ABC said, 鈥淎ll three maintain exceptional CTE and workforce development programs, delivering a robust and highly skilled workforce.鈥�

The organisation noted of Florida: 鈥淸It鈥檚 a] former first-place state [that] continues to perform highly across the board.

鈥淲ith one of the largest economies in the country and extensive labour needs, it has maintained a particular focus on innovative career-centred education opportunities. This continues to yield positive results for craft professionals and the construction workforce as the state experiences record population growth.鈥�

Looking at the bottom of ABC鈥檚 Merit Shop Scorecard

High-rise construction in New York City, New York, US. (Image: Adobe Stock)

ABC said the bottom five on the list, in order, were Washington, the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), Illinois, New York and Hawaii.

鈥淟ow-performing states maintain policies unfriendly to open shop contractors and taxpayers, such as encouraging or requiring the use of government-mandated PLAs on state and/or local projects,鈥� said ABC.

鈥淧olicies limiting opportunity for the merit shop workforce, which makes up the majority of construction workers in these states, also lead to lower-than-desired outcomes in workforce readiness and job growth for the construction industry, whether union or merit shop.鈥�

Michigan, which ranked 33rd overall and borders top-ranked Wisconsin and sixth-ranked Indiana, was specifically called out in ABC鈥檚 release of the rankings.

鈥淢ichigan continued to drop in the rankings in 2024, falling to number 33 due to the full repeal of right-to-work legislation,鈥� said ABC. Seen as 鈥榓nti-union鈥�, Michigan鈥檚 repeal of a right-to-work model (which took place early in 2024 through the Fair and Open Competition Act) is a rarity for the US; no state has repealed a right-to-work law in around 60 years.

For a pro-open shop (or merit shop) organisation like ABC, this new reality for Michigan meant a downgrade on its scorecard.

Iconic building gets US$1billion makeover An old Detroit building will reopen after a decade of sitting empty and comprehensive renovations