With the thriving Houston real estate market, demand for construction workers is skyrocketing, especially considering a growing labor shortage. Houston ranks as the second-best city for construction workers in 2021, according to Industrial Paint and Protection (IPP) Magazine.

The magazine examined which residential markets are booming and where construction workers are in high demand, but make a reasonable wage. Other considerations included the number of building permits issued per the U.S. Census Bureau, the mean salary of construction workers per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the cost of living for each city. The demand for construction workers was weighed twice as much as other factors since this can impact many other variables, such as salaries. 

There were a total of 1,415,600 building permits issued in the U.S. in February 2021, the highest the number has been since 2007, right before the housing bubble burst. Of these, 5,335 new build permits were issued in Houston, second only to Dallas and New York City. There was an average of six workers per permit. 

A total of 32,540 construction workers were counted in Houston, second only to the much-larger New York City construction industry. The average salary for these workers was $36,380. 

Six of the top 10 cities on the list were in the South due to lower costs of living and exploding real estate markets. Dallas topped the list at No. 1 and Austin came in at No. 4. San Antonio also made the cut further down at No. 13. 

These numbers correspond to the unprecedented population growth Texas has experienced over the last 10 years.