Construction employment expanded in 192 metro areas, declined in 84 and was stagnant in 63 between December 2012 and December 2013, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. While many metro areas added jobs for the year, only 20 metro areas topped previous construction employment peaks for the month.

Private residential construction spending was up 18 percent from December 2012 to December 2013, while public sector spending dropped 1 percent.

“Growing demand for apartment and single-family construction was behind a lot of the growth in most metro areas last year,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Employment in December 2013 was held down in many areas by unusually snowy or cold weather. With the weather and the economy both likely to improve soon, even more metros should post employment gains in the coming months.”