Restoration & Remediation

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 OEWS data, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan statistical area employed 440 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), yielding an employment location quotient of 0.47 relative to the national average.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, new privately owned housing unit authorizations in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA totaled 40,687 units in 2024, making it the 5th highest metropolitan area nationwide despite moderating roughly 18% from 2022 peak levels.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, the Austin-Round Rock, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area employed 240 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2023, with a mean hourly wage of $21.85 and annual mean salary of $45,440.

According to U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data, the Austin-Round Rock metro authorized 32,294 new residential building units in 2024, ranking 6th nationally among major U.S. metros, representing a stabilization in construction activity following a downward adjustment from peak 2021-2022 volume levels.

The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA employs approximately 520 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), representing a density of 0.401 workers per 1,000 jobs in the metropolitan area.

Private residential building permits in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MSA reached approximately 5,514 authorized units over a trailing 12-month period, reflecting a solid 24.2% year-over-year increase in permitting activity.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area had 200 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed in May 2023, representing a location quotient of 1.16, which indicates a 16% higher concentration of specialized remediation workers per capita than the national average.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey shows the Birmingham-Hoover, AL metro issued 3.74 total residential building permits per 1,000 residents in 2022 (2.76 single-family and 0.99 multi-family per 1,000 population). Trailing 12-month building permit volume reached 4,384 total permits (3.71 per 1,000 residents), with Jefferson County leading metro activity at 2,398 permits (56% of the metro pipeline) followed by Shelby County with 1,336 permits.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS dataset, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan statistical area employed approximately 1,950 hazardous materials removal workers (SOC 47-4041), representing one of the highest employment concentrations for remediation specialists among U.S. metros.

New residential building permits in Greater Boston peaked in 2021 (~15,000 units) and have since declined significantly through 2024 and 2025 due to elevated interest rates and high construction costs, with YTD 2025 permit volume running approximately 44% below 2021 levels.

In the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 250 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed as of May 2023. The metro area holds a location quotient of 1.46 for this restoration and remediation trade, indicating a 46% higher concentration of workers relative to the national average, with an annual mean wage of $55,790.

Residential construction permit volume in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls MSA has trended downward over recent years. Census Building Permits Survey data compiled in market reports shows monthly permitted units falling from 234 units in July 2020 to 93 units in July 2025 (a 60% decline), with multifamily permits dropping from 123 to 20 units and single-family permits declining from 103 to 69 units.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area employed approximately 300 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), representing an occupational density of 0.23 workers per 1,000 jobs.

New private housing structures authorized by building permits in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia MSA peaked at 3,684 units in April 2023 before trending downward to 2,471 units in March 2025, reflecting a moderation in new residential construction activity.

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI metropolitan area had 1,610 employed Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) in May 2023, representing an employment density of 0.36 workers per 1,000 jobs and a location quotient of 1.08 relative to the national average.

According to U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data, monthly residential building authorizations in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA grew moderately year-over-year in July 2025 from 1,542 units to 1,851 units (a ~20% gain), balancing multifamily increases from 580 to 873 units with single-family gains from 842 to 901 units.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA employed approximately 210 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), with a mean hourly wage of $23.69 and an annual mean wage of $49,270.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, total private residential housing units authorized by building permits in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA reached 6,241 units in 2023 (including 4,008 single-family units), representing a downward trajectory from peak 2021-2022 construction activity.

According to the May 2023 BLS OEWS estimates, the Cleveland-Elyria, OH MSA employed 210 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), representing an occupational density of 0.210 workers per 1,000 jobs in the metro area.

Building permit activity in the Cleveland-Elyria, OH MSA trended upward through 2024, with the city of Cleveland issuing 14,955 construction permits valued at approximately $2.8 billion as development activity recovered from prior slowdowns.

According to BLS OEWS data, the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area employed approximately 1,300 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) in May 2023, with a location quotient of 0.72 relative to national employment concentration.

Residential building permit volume in the Columbus, OH metro area experienced strong growth, reaching 13,709 authorized units over the trailing 12-month period, a 63.7% increase year-over-year, with approximately 67% of permitting activity concentrated in Franklin County.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA, there were 980 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed, representing an employment density of approximately 0.248 workers per 1,000 total jobs in the metropolitan area, with a mean hourly wage of $21.44 and an annual mean wage of $44,600.

In 2024, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metropolitan area authorized 71,788 total new privately-owned residential housing units, maintaining its rank as one of the highest-volume construction markets nationwide with an authorization rate of 22.2 new units per 1,000 existing homes.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO MSA employed 980 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2023, with a location quotient of 1.87, indicating a density nearly double the national average.

In the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan area, single-family residential permitting experienced a downward trend, issuing 1,175 permits during the 12 months ending August 2023, a decline of 34% compared to the prior 12-month period.

According to BLS OEWS data for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI MSA, there were 470 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed in the metro area, earning an annual mean wage of $54,240 ($26.08/hour) with a location quotient of 0.75 relative to national density.

Residential building permit authorizations in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI MSA saw a multi-year decline reaching a low of 4,541 authorized units in 2023, before rebounding in 2024 and 2025 as new housing construction picked back up across the region.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metropolitan statistical area employed 240 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2022, representing an employment location quotient of 1.36 compared to the national average.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metropolitan statistical area authorized 1,270 residential units over the trailing 12 months ending May 2026, with May 2026 monthly unit authorizations up 79.1% year-over-year to 120 units (64.2% multi-family).

According to the May 2023 BLS OEWS estimates, the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX MSA employed 1,480 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), a core occupational trade for remediation and restoration, representing an employment density of 0.464 per 1,000 jobs and a location quotient of 1.41.

In 2023, the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA led the nation in residential building permits with 68,755 total units authorized (including 50,444 single-family homes). While this represented a slight decrease from the record 75,786 units authorized in 2022, it was the fifth-highest permitting year on record for the metro. Overall construction contract awards in the Houston metro surged 31% in 2024 to $43.8 billion (up from $33.3 billion in 2023).

In the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN metropolitan statistical area, Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), a core occupation within the restoration and remediation trade, numbered an estimated 630 employed workers, representing a location quotient of 1.76, which indicates a significantly higher concentration of trade labor than the national average.

Residential building permit activity in the Indianapolis metro area softened in 2023 with single-family permits down 12% year-over-year (reaching 12,513 total permitted units), before accelerating in 2024 with trailing 12-month permitting reaching 13,042 units, a 26.7% year-over-year increase.

According to the May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the Jacksonville, FL MSA had an estimated 140 employed Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), representing an employment concentration of 0.187 per 1,000 jobs and an annual mean wage of $44,620.

In April 2026, HBW recorded 875 new residential construction permits in the Jacksonville region with a total construction value of $260.6 million and an average permit valuation of $297,826, reflecting steady growth led by Duval and St. Johns counties.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data, the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan statistical area employed 390 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2023, representing a location quotient of 0.84 relative to national employment levels.

Residential building permit activity in Kansas City, MO accelerated significantly in 2024, with authorized housing units increasing by 133% from 1,234 units in 2023 to 2,878 units in 2024 (+1,644 units), representing one of the largest unit permit gains in the Midwest.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV metropolitan statistical area employed 480 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2024, up from 410 employed in May 2023.

According to Census Building Permits Survey data, residential unit permitting in the Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV metropolitan area experienced a downward trend in 2024, dropping 29.7% year-over-year to 2,301 total units permitted, including a 2.4% decrease in multifamily permits to 1,448 units.

According to BLS OEWS data, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA MSA employs approximately 2,810 to 3,020 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) with a location quotient of 1.38, indicating a higher-than-average employment concentration in remediation and restoration services relative to the national baseline.

Residential building permitting in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA totaled approximately 26,781 authorized units in 2024. Recent overall permit trends reflect a multi-year contraction driven primarily by a decline in multi-family unit permitting (down over 25% relative to its 5-year baseline), despite minor gains in single-family home authorizations.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 OEWS data, the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan statistical area employed 70 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), representing an employment concentration (location quotient) of 0.32 relative to the national average.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, residential housing permit authorizations in the Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA grew by 31.3% year-over-year in the first half of 2023, rising from 2,278 permits in 1H 2022 to 2,991 permits in 1H 2023.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metropolitan statistical area employed 140 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2023, representing a location quotient of 0.68 relative to national employment density.

According to U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data reported via FRED, private housing unit authorization in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR MSA peaked in mid-2021 before following a downward trend through 2023 and 2024 amid elevated interest rates and reduced residential construction activity.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), there were 420 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metropolitan area as of May 2023, representing a worker density of 0.156 per 1,000 jobs.

New residential housing permits in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA peaked in 2021-2022 before trending downward through 2023-2025 as elevated mortgage rates and housing affordability constraints slowed overall construction activity.

In the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI MSA, there were 140 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), the primary occupational classification for restoration, remediation, and abatement trades, employed as of May 2023, representing a location quotient of 0.53 relative to the national average and a mean annual wage of $47,890.

Residential building permit issuance in the Milwaukee metropolitan area stagnated and declined between 2021 and 2023 following an initial post-pandemic surge; multi-family housing permits declined relative to pre-pandemic (2017-2019) levels, while single-family housing permit activity remained roughly flat.

According to Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data, there are 320 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area.

In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan area, residential construction permitting increased over the 12 months ending October 2025, with single-family building permits rising 14% to 10,500 units and multifamily permits increasing 22% to 6,550 units compared to the prior year.

In the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN MSA, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 170 employed Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2023, representing a density of 0.161 workers per 1,000 jobs in the metro area.

Residential building permit volume in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN MSA reached 19,210 authorized units in 2024, a slight 4% decrease from 20,038 units in 2023, maintaining high overall housing construction levels across Middle Tennessee.

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data for the New Orleans-Metairie, LA MSA, there were 290 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed in the metro area, representing 0.561 per 1,000 jobs and a location quotient of 1.70.

In the New Orleans-Metairie, LA MSA, new private housing permit activity has shown a downward and restrained trend over recent years, authorizing 3.4 new housing units per 1,000 existing homes in 2024 based on U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data.

In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metropolitan statistical area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS reports 4,050 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed with a location quotient of 1.30, representing a higher density of environmental remediation specialists relative to the national average.

U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data shows nationwide privately owned housing unit authorizations dropped 2.2% from 1,511,102 units in 2023 to 1,478,000 units in 2024, while housing unit permitting in the New York-Newark-Jersey City MSA maintained high overall activity with over 54,000 units authorized over trailing 12-month periods.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, there were 110 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed in the Oklahoma City, OK Metropolitan Statistical Area, representing a location quotient of 0.53 relative to the national average.

According to U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data, residential construction permitting in the Oklahoma City MSA is heavily dominated by single-family housing, which accounted for 91.0% of all new residential unit building permits issued in 2023, the highest single-family permit ratio among major U.S. metropolitan areas.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA employed an estimated 180 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) in May 2023, representing a location quotient of 0.40 relative to the national concentration.

Residential building permit volume in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA increased 15% year-over-year, moving from 24,135 new housing units authorized in 2024 up to 27,758 units in 2025.

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) OEWS data, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan statistical area employed approximately 800 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) with a mean hourly wage of $27.14 and an annual mean wage of $56,460.

Following a historic surge in 2021 driven by impending changes to Philadelphia's 10-year property tax abatement (over 25,000 residential units permitted), building permit volumes dropped sharply in 2022 and stabilized through 2024-2025 back to pre-surge historical baseline levels.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA had 340 employed Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) with an average hourly wage of $17.49.

Privately owned residential housing units permitted in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area reached 39,145 units, reflecting a 15% year-over-year decline from 45,884 units permitted in the prior year.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area employed 330 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), representing an employment density of 0.304 workers per 1,000 jobs in the metro area.

New residential building permits in the Pittsburgh, PA MSA reached 6,294 total units in 2023 (including 3,348 single-family units). Permitting momentum moderated in 2024, decreasing to 1,664 housing units permitted across top local permit-issuing places tracked by the Census Bureau.

The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan statistical area employs approximately 440 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) with a location quotient of 1.12, reflecting a workforce density slightly higher than the national baseline.

Residential building permit volume in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA experienced a sharp downward trend in 2024, with multi-family permits falling 58.5% year-over-year to 2,696 units and single-family permits declining 2.7% to 1,649 units amidst elevated construction costs and interest rates.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, there were 320 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers employed in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metropolitan statistical area, earning an annual mean wage of $57,580 ($27.68 per hour).

Residential building permit activity in the Providence-Warwick metro area and across Rhode Island trended sharply upward from 2022 through 2024, increasing from approximately 1,169 permitted units in 2023 to over 2,600 residential units permitted in 2024 (an 84% increase over 2022 levels), supported by state-level housing supply initiatives.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan statistical area employs approximately 70 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) performing restoration, remediation, and abatement activities, with an above-average location quotient of 2.33.

Residential permitting activity in the Raleigh-Cary metro area reached 18,206 authorized housing units trailing twelve months (TTM) at a density of 12.81 permits per 1,000 residents, representing a year-over-year acceleration of +15.5%.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Richmond, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area employed 410 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2023, representing a density of 0.631 workers per 1,000 total jobs in the metropolitan area.

According to HUD and U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data, homebuilding activity in the Richmond, VA MSA saw single-family permits total 20,850 units for the 12 months ending November 2024, representing a 4% decline compared to 21,750 units permitted in the previous 12-month period.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metropolitan area employed 470 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) as of May 2023, with a mean hourly wage of $27.48 ($57,150 annually) and a location quotient of 0.85.

U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey data shows new residential housing units authorized by building permits in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA reached 16,320 units in 2022 (a 4.6% increase over 2021) valued at $3.9 billion. Permitting accelerated in early 2023, rising 24.17% year-over-year in the first half of 2023 to 11,355 units before broader regional construction activity moderated.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), there were 360 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed in the Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, earning a mean hourly wage of $29.55 and an annual mean wage of $61,470.

In Sacramento County, total building permit volume dipped 2.1% from 6,894 permits in 2023 to 6,747 permits in 2024, while total permit valuation increased 10.7% from $1.77 billion to $1.96 billion over the same period.

According to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) report, the Salt Lake City, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated 60 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed as of May 2023, representing a location quotient of 0.37 relative to the national average concentration.

Residential building permitting in the Wasatch Front / Salt Lake metro area peaked in 2021-2022 at over 28,000 authorized housing units before declining through 2023-2024 down to 17,970 units in 2024 due to elevated mortgage rates, before experiencing a local rebound in multi-family permitting activity in 2025.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS estimates, the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX MSA employed approximately 320 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) with a location quotient of 0.89 relative to the national average.

Single-family building permits in the San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA increased 29% year-over-year in Q2 2024 to 3,300 homes, while multifamily permitting slowed following robust deliveries of over 25,000 apartment units between mid-2021 and mid-2024.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 OEWS data, the San Diego-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan statistical area employed 590 hazardous materials removal workers (SOC 47-4051).

In 2024, local building permit offices in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA authorized permits for 6,615 new residential housing units, an increase of 850 units (+14.7%) compared to 5,765 units authorized in 2023.

New private housing unit authorizations in San Francisco County declined from 2,519 units in 2021 to 2,044 in 2022, 1,136 in 2023, and 770 in 2024, representing a 69.4% cumulative drop over three years.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 OEWS data, there were 300 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area, representing an employment density of 0.267 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient of 0.81).

Residential building permit activity in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area has trended downward in recent years, declining from 8,207 total units permitted in 2022 to 6,847 units in 2023, and reaching 6,714 units for the 12 months ending November 2024 (with rental unit permits falling 7% year-over-year).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 OEWS, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA employed 830 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) representing a location quotient of 1.21 relative to national concentration, with an annual mean wage of $68,790.

New privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA grew by approximately 4.4%, rising from 15,002 authorized units in 2024 to 15,659 authorized units in 2025, placing the metro among the top 20 nationwide in overall permitting volume.

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data, there were approximately 260 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed across all industries in the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area.

Residential building permit activity in the St. Louis metropolitan area has trended downward since 2019, reaching a low point of 5,417 total authorized housing permits (including 3,530 single-family units) in 2025, ranking 58th nationwide among major U.S. metro areas.

As of May 2023, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metropolitan statistical area employed approximately 700 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), representing an employment density of 0.494 per 1,000 jobs and a location quotient of 1.50 compared to the national average.

In 2023, Tampa Bay region counties authorized 55,085 total residential units, representing a 27% increase compared to 2019. Within Hillsborough County, total permitted units peaked at 19,305 in 2021 before moderating to 14,502 units in 2023.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metropolitan statistical area employed 300 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041), with a location quotient of 1.25, indicating an employment density 25% higher than the national average.

Residential building permit activity in the Virginia Beach MSA has trended downward in recent years, declining from 7,516 authorized units in 2022 to 6,772 units in 2023, and further dropping to 6,166 units for the 12 months ending October 2024 (an approximate 10.6% year-over-year decline).

In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan statistical area, there were 890 Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041) employed, representing an employment density of 0.288 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient of 0.88).

Residential construction permit activity in the Mid-Atlantic and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria MSA experienced a downward trend, with first-quarter 2025 regional housing authorizations declining by 3% year-over-year amid elevated interest rates.