Nonresidential Construction Spending Flat in January

WASHINGTON, DC — Total nonresidential construction spending was mostly flat for the month of January, according to data published by the US Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.245 trillion.

Private nonresidential spending was down 0.4%, while public nonresidential construction spending was up 0.6% in January. Spending was down on a monthly basis in 9 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories.

“Private nonresidential construction spending contracted for the fourth consecutive month in January and is now down 8% from the December 2023 all-time high,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While harsh winter weather likely bears some blame, the major issue is the ongoing decline in computer/electronic manufacturing construction. With CHIPS Act-incentivized megaprojects wrapping up, spending in that subcategory is down nearly 40% over the past 18 months.

“With the exception of data centers, which saw another 2% jump in spending during January, there are few sources of momentum to offset the precipitous decline in manufacturing construction activity,” said Basu. “This lackluster performance is especially concerning in light of the ongoing conflict in Iran, which will ignite materials price escalation and heighten already elevated levels of economic uncertainty. While ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator rebounded slightly in February, rising 0.1 months from January’s four-year low, it may be a difficult first half of 2026 for many contractors.”

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.