Nonresidential Construction Spending Inches Up in August

WASHINGTON, DC — National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.1% in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the US Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.22 trillion.

Spending was up on a monthly basis in 10 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending decreased 0.1%, while public nonresidential construction spending was up 0.3% in August.

“Nonresidential construction spending inched higher in August, and that’s almost entirely due to ongoing infrastructure investments,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Public spending accounted for all of the nonresidential segment’s monthly increase and has risen nearly 8% over the past year, significantly outpacing privately financed nonresidential construction activity. As a result of ongoing weakness in certain private subsegments, ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator has fallen by a full month over the past year. While falling interest rates will eventually serve as a tailwind for the industry, it may be several quarters before privately financed segments see any substantial relief.”

Visit abc.org/economics for the Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index, plus analysis of spending, employment, job openings and the Producer Price Index.