Construction Spending

U.S. Census Bureau

JUL 2026 vs. JUL 2025

All Construction Spending: -3.8%

Public Construction: +1.7%

Private Construction:  -5.5%

Residential Construction: -7.3%

Non-Residential Construction: -1.3%

Construction Costs

ENR Construction Cost Index

SEP 2026 vs. SEP 2025

Total Construction Costs: +3.7%

Building Cost Index: +5.6%  

Material Cost Index: +10.9%

Skilled Labor Costs: +1.2%

Common Labor Costs: +0.9% 



Construction Employment

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

AUG 2026

Construction Unemployment: 3.1%



Project Design Activity

AIA Architectural Billings Index

AUG 2026

Architectural Billings Index (ABI): 47.2

New Design Contract Index (DCI): 48.3

New Project Inquiry Index (NPII): 50.8

>50 represents more activity than the prior month. AIA monthly data for each segment and region can be found on our Economics Hub.



Contractor Backlogs

ABC Backlog Indicator

JUN 2026 (2nd Quarter)

National Average Backlog: 8.8 months

Highest Backlog By:

Type: Infrastructure (10.1)

Region: South (10.3)

Company Size: >$100M (12.3)

Complete backlog data for each Industry, Region, and Company Size can be found on our Economics Hub.