The following information was released by Associated General Contractors of America:

Construction employment again declined in large numbers in all but one state this September compared to last year according to an analysis of new state-by-state employment figures released today by the federal government. The analysis, conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America, also found that the number of states gaining construction jobs from August to September 2009 declined after increasing during the two previous months.

"While there's little doubt construction employment would have been worse without the stimulus, there's no question that the industry continues to shed jobs at an alarming rate," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the association. "The stimulus remains an important measure, but until private-sector demand for construction resumes, there's little chance the current construction employment decline will turnaround or even stop."

The five biggest percentage losses in construction employment over the year occurred in Nevada (27.8 percent, or 31,100 jobs), Arizona (25.3 percent, or 45,900 jobs), Michigan (22.3 percent, or 15,700 jobs), Tennessee (21.5 percent, or 28,400 jobs) and Kentucky (19.5 percent or 16,500 jobs). He noted that 41 states saw double-digit percentage decreases in construction employment for the year. Meanwhile, construction employment only expanded in Louisiana during the past year, with a 2.1 percent increase, totaling 2,800 jobs.

Simonson noted that when compared to the previous month, the construction employment picture deteriorated slightly this September with 36 states shedding construction jobs, 13 (including Washington, D.C.) adding construction jobs, and 2 states remaining stable, compared to 30 states losing, 16 adding and 5 (including D.C.) remaining stable in August.