You need to line up subs for a Triangle house and want numbers behind the talk about labor supply. Start with local payroll job counts and housing authorizations. Neither measure tells you whether a particular crew can take your job.
The latest detailed annual metro QCEW files verified for this guide are 2024. They report 7,791 private residential-building jobs and 32,637 specialty-trade jobs in the Raleigh area. The Durham area reports 1,550 and 6,855 respectively. Specialty trades cover more than residential work, so keep that limit beside the counts.
Read the industry labels before the numbers
The tables use BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) annual average employment. Select private ownership, code 5, and total establishment size, code 0. The figures count payroll jobs in the named industry and metro. They do not count each worker once or list available subs.
BLS’s employment definition counts filled jobs by place of work, including full-time and part-time jobs.
Read the two industry categories this way:
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| Industry | Scope to keep with the count | What you cannot infer |
|---|---|---|
| NAICS 2361, Residential Building Construction | Jobs at establishments classified in residential building | Every worker building houses, including employees of separate subcontractors |
| NAICS 238, Specialty Trade Contractors | Jobs at establishments performing specialty construction activities | Residential-only trade employment or the number of people in one occupation |
BLS separates residential and nonresidential building construction. Its specialty-trade definition covers specific construction activities, including additions, alterations, maintenance, and repairs. Do not relabel the entire specialty-trade column as homebuilding labor.
The count includes different occupations within each industry, not just field installers. Keep that limit in mind when you use Raleigh construction jobs data to plan purchases or hire subs.
Compare five years of metro payroll jobs
The table covers the five latest years of detailed annual metro data verified for this guide: 2020 through 2024. Each row links to both original area files. The values count annual average private payroll jobs, not annual hires or vacancies.
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| Year | Raleigh area: residential building | Raleigh area: specialty trades | Durham area: residential building | Durham area: specialty trades | BLS files |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5,979 | 26,274 | 1,060 | 6,022 | Raleigh, Durham |
| 2021 | 6,730 | 27,513 | 1,238 | 6,078 | Raleigh, Durham |
| 2022 | 7,299 | 28,943 | 1,371 | 6,236 | Raleigh, Durham |
| 2023 | 7,953 | 30,944 | 1,446 | 6,471 | Raleigh, Durham |
| 2024 | 7,791 | 32,637 | 1,550 | 6,855 | Raleigh, Durham |
The BLS area-code list identifies C3958 as Raleigh-Cary and C2050 as Durham-Chapel Hill. These are metro figures, not city-limits counts. Keep the two areas separate when comparing them with permits or planning travel for a job.
Both industry counts end higher than they start in these records. Raleigh residential building falls between 2023 and 2024 while its specialty-trade count rises. Durham’s two counts rise across that same interval. The records show those changes but do not explain why employers changed their payrolls.
Treat longer comparisons with care. BLS warns that QCEW is not designed as a time-series product. Changes to industry classifications or metro boundaries, along with administrative corrections, can affect comparisons. Recheck the source files and definitions before treating a difference as pure job creation or loss.
Why the table stops before 2025
The BLS metro-publication notice says detailed industry data within MSAs will no longer be available. Metro publication moves to total covered employment. You can no longer use those metro releases to compare residential-building or specialty-trade jobs.
The notice directs users to combine county data using the County-MSA-CSA crosswalk. For a newer local estimate, first choose the metro definition. Then collect data for each county in that metro, matching the industry, ownership, and annual period.
Check disclosure restrictions before adding the county figures. Do not treat a suppressed county value as zero.
Use 2024 for the latest direct annual metro industry detail verified here. For a newer comparison, combine county figures and record which counties and data you included. The QCEW overview describes publication and confidentiality limits. Save the retrieval date with any figures you reuse.
Before reusing the table, check the source data with the same filters. Download the area file for the year, filter ownership to 5, and keep industry 2361 or 238. Read annual_avg_emplvl, then check disclosure_code.
Keep the annual average employment field separate from establishment counts and average pay. Save the file URL and retrieval date beside the figures you copy.
Do not add a parent industry to its component industries. If you examine an electrical or plumbing subgroup later, compare the same subgroup across areas and periods. Keep that narrower comparison separate from the full specialty-trade total.
Use the result to decide what to ask subs about the work you need. Confirm start dates with the crews.
Compare housing units authorized with payroll jobs
The Census Building Permits Survey (BPS) provides a separate measure of residential activity. The totals below use estimates with imputation from the original 2025 annual CBSA file and 2024 annual CBSA file. They count housing units authorized, not permit documents.
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| Metro | 2024 units authorized | 2025 units authorized | 2025 units in one-unit structures | 2025 units in structures with five or more units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh-Cary, NC (39580) | 18,979 | 17,543 | 11,760 | 5,542 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (20500) | 3,858 | 6,100 | 3,751 | 2,263 |
Totals also include units in two-unit and three-to-four-unit structures. For Raleigh-Cary, those categories add 230 and 11 units in 2025. For Durham-Chapel Hill, they add 22 and 64. Add all four categories in the linked 2025 file to get each total above.
The Census definitions separate authorizations from starts and completions. They also distinguish a housing unit from a building. A multifamily building can contribute many units through one project. Do not read the total as a count of detached houses or separate crew jobs.
The two metros move in different directions between these permit years. Compare that change with where you expect to build next. Avoid dividing 2025 housing authorizations by 2024 payrolls and calling the result productivity, a shortage, or available capacity. The figures cover different periods, work, and units of measurement.
Ask each crew about scope and start dates
QCEW excludes proprietors and the unincorporated self-employed, as the program overview explains. The payroll count leaves out part of the subcontracting market. It also cannot identify the crew, supervisor, travel radius, or open start date you need.
Start your local search with the Triangle hub. Use the finding subcontractors guide with the scope you need priced. Ask each candidate for the same information:
- The work they will perform and the work they exclude.
- Who supervises, and which crew is proposed.
- Their earliest realistic start and the conditions attached to it.
- Current commitments that could affect your phase.
- Site prep, materials, and inspections needed before they start.
- A recent comparable project and a reference you can contact.
Write the response beside your home-building sequence. Confirm the date again when the site, materials, and inspections are ready. Use subcontractor vetting for the business and credential checks.
Keep a separate backup-sub plan. A larger metro payroll does not prove a replacement crew is ready.
Where Cercha fits
Cercha Search filters by trade, ZIP code, and radius so you can identify people to contact. Profiles show work portfolios and endorsements, and Messages lets you discuss the proposed scope. Confirm the crew’s current commitments and start date directly before putting them on the schedule.