A report by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) showed a six percent gain in construction, mining and logging employment in the Wilmington metropolitan area in 2017. The total number of jobs increased from 16,300 to 17,300, or a thousand positions.

The annual report measures employment growth across all metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the U.S. The Wilmington division includes parts of southeastern Pennsylvania, south Jersey, and eastern Maryland.

The Dover MSA dropped from 2,500 to 2,400. The Salisbury MSA, which extends into Delaware, increased from 8,100 to 8,500.

Jan '17             Jan '18        12-mo. %change        12-mo.gain/loss     Rank
16,300              17,300         6%                              1,000                        110

In addition, the AGC said the industry was optimistic in a recent report looking ahead at 2018

"Construction firms appear to be very optimistic about 2018, as they expect demand for all types of construction services to continue to expand," read the report. "This optimism applies to both private- and public-sector construction demand, perhaps reflecting both optimism with current economic conditions, an increasingly more business-friendly regulatory environment, and optimism that the Trump administration will finally deliver on its promise to boost infrastructure investments."

The full rankings are available here: