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Construction Industry
NAICS 23 Scope of This Guide
The construction sector comprises work primarily involved in the construction of buildings or engineering projects (e.g., highways and utility systems). Construction work done may include new work, additions, alterations, or maintenance and repairs. Such activities are generally managed at a fixed place of business, but they usually perform construction activities at multiple project sites. Establishments primarily engaged in contracts that include responsibility for all aspects of individual construction projects are commonly known as general contractors. Construction managers that provide oversight and scheduling only as well as construction managers that are responsible for the entire project are included as general contractor type companies. General contracting frequently arranges construction of separate parts of their projects through subcontracts with other construction establishments: Subsector 236, Construction of Buildings, comprises establishments of the general contractor type and operative builders involved in the construction of buildings; subsector 237, Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction, comprises establishments involved in the construction of engineering projects; and subsector 238, Specialty Trade Contractors, comprises establishments engaged in specialty trade activities generally needed in the construction of all types of buildings. (2002 NAICS Definitions, U.S. Census Bureau)

Industry Definitions

Code NAICS Sector ( WHAT is NAICS? )
23 Construction
236 Construction of Buildings
237 Heavy and Civil Engineering
238 Specialty Trade

Databases for Industry Research

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage

  1. - Industry surveys
  2. - Bond ratings
  3. - Company profiles and corporation records
  4. - Stock, bond and fund research
Plunkett Research Online (Industry Information)
  1. - Industry sector analysis and research
  2. - Industry trends and statistics
  3. - Market research and trends
  4. - Company profiles
Reuters Research On-Demand
  1. - Real-time full-text investment research
  2. - Reports cover companies and industries
  3. - Over 750 contributing firms
ValueLine
  1. - Aggregate data and analysis on industries
  2. - Reports, articles, and company highlights

ABI/Inform (via ProQuest)

  1. - Indexes over 1000 business periodicals
  2. - Trade journals, business magazines, academic journals and other news sources
  3. - Most articles full text

IBISWorld

  1. - Over 700 full-text industry reports
  2. - Over 700 US industry risk rating reports
  3. - Information on over 8000 Publicly Traded Companies
  4. - Hundreds of economic and demographic profiles

For additional database choices, see:

  1. Database Descriptions
  2. Database Comparison Chart

Industry Data

U.S.Data

Building Permits
(U.S. Census Bureau)

  • U.S Permits
  • Permits by state, metropolitan area, or county
  • Standard errors
  • Revised estimates

Census of Construction Industries
(U.S. Census Bureau)

  • Collected data every five years
  • Construction employment
  • Construction work
  • Construction materials

Construction Industry
(OSHA)

  • Construction alliances
  • Construction topics and e-tools
  • Partnerships and cooperative programs
  • Standards
  • Training and outreach

Construction Reports
(U.S. Census Bureau)

  • Housing and household economic statistics
  • Construction industries
  • Construction statistics
  • Construction reports

Construction Spending
(U.S. Census Bureau)

  • Private construction
  • Federal construction
  • State and local construction
  • Total construction

Construction Statistics
(U.S. Census Bureau)

  • New residential sales and construction
  • Construction price indexes
  • Characteristics of new housing
  • Manufactured housing
  • Residential improvements

Housing and Urban Development
(HUD)

  • Buying, owning, renting, and selling
  • Home improvements
  • Fair housing
  • Consumer information

Industry Topics
(Thelen Reid & Priest LLP)

  • New projects and bidding
  • Engineering, architecture, and the environment
  • Laws and regulations
  • Safety
  • Employment

New Housing
(US Census Bureau)

  • Characteristics of new one-family homes
  • Characteristics of new multi-family units
  • Contractor-built houses

New Residential Construction
(US Census Bureau)

  • Building permits
  • Quarterly starts and completions by purpose and design
  • Length of time from authorization to completion
  • Historic press releases

New Residential Sales
(US Census Bureau)

  • Quarterly sales by price and financing
  • Comparison of new to existing home sales
  • Annual characteristics of new home sales

Occupational Outlook
(Bureau of Labor Statistics)

  • Nature of the industry
  • Employment
  • Working conditions
  • Training
  • Earnings

Residential Improvements and Repairs
(US Census Bureau)

  • Historical expenditures
  • Residential properties by type
  • Owner-occupied one-unit properties by region and year

World Data

Construction Industry Council
(CIC)

  • Forum for professional organizations and companies
  • Construction industry research
  • Regional breakdown of construction

Definition Construction
(Canadian Industry Statistics)

  • Construction industry definitions
  • Annual survey of manufacturers
  • Labor productivity
  • Construction contracting

Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI)

  • International exports
  • Key performance indicators
  • Construction legislation
  • Construction statistics and economics

Skyscrapers and High-rise Buildings
(Emporis)

  • Information analysis of the real-estate and building markets
  • Reference source for world-wide high-rise buildings
  • Directory for contractors, engineering companies, design companies, consultants, and suppliers

International Statistics
(Australian Bureau of Statistics)

  • International construction statistics
  • Links to global statistical associations

SELECTED Companies

Construction and Design Services

Commercial and Heavy

Residential

Specialty Contracting

Resources for Identifying Companies in the Industry

Hoover’s Online

Lexis/Nexis Corporate Affiliations
Business Library, Reference: HG4057.A219

Mergent Online

Ward’s Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies
Business Library, Reference: HG4057.A56


Library Collections

Selected Reference Titles

For additional materials, contact the Schreyer Business Library.

The Construction Specifier
Current Periodical – Engineering Library TH425.C6

get-it button for requested titleEngineering, Construction and Architectural Management

Infrastructure industries USA: industry analyses, statistics, and leading companies
3rd Floor Paterno: HD2771.I54 1st.ed.

get-it button for requested titleInternational journal of construction education and research

Labor Rates for the Construction Industry
Engineering Library, Reference (325 Hammond): HD4966.B92U43 2007

Plunkett's real estate & construction industry almanac
3rd Floor Paterno: HD1361.P583 2003

Skilled hands, strong spirits: a century of building trades history
3rd Floor Paterno: HD6515.B9P35 2005

Call # Ranges

HD28-9999 Industries, Land use and Labor
TE1-450 Highway engineering; Roads and Pavements
TG1-470 Bridge engineering
TH1-9745 Building Construction

Trade Associations

Association of Equipment Manufacturers

Construction Industry Service Corporation

Construction Trade Associations

International Builders Show

National Association of Home Builders

Career Information

Building Industry Exchange(Online Employer Directory)

Building Owners and Managers Association(BOMA)

Trade Worker
(Construction Industry Trade Jobs)

Vault Online Career Library (Currently, Vault Guides are facing problems opening in Adobe Reader 8.x. Please see here for using FREE Adobe Digital Editions to access these guides)

  1. - Vault provides full-text career and industry guides
  2. - Includes company profiles, occupation descriptions, and career-related articles

Career Guide to Industries  (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Business Library, Reference: HF5382.5.U5 C3162

Occupational Outlook Handbook  (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
CAT record for print copies
Business Library, Reference: HD8051.A623

Career Resources Page

 

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