Data
Construction spending fell 1.9% in September as residential improvement spending dropped
Census puts September 2026 construction spending at $2,186.1 billion SAAR, down 1.9% from a revised August, as private residential fell 5.5%.
Tag
Census Bureau
Data
How to adjust construction spending for inflation, which turns September's 2.3% nonresidential gain into a 3.0% decline
Dividing Census spending by a BLS construction price index separates price from volume, for national data and for your own revenue and backlog.
186.24 September 2026 · +0.0% on the month · +5.4% on the year
The nonresidential building price index rose 5.4% in the year to September
BLS producer price index for new nonresidential building construction, index June 2009 = 100, not seasonally adjusted
Feature Data
Housing starts fell 5.2% in September to 1,221,000, the second-lowest rate in 25 months
Census says September housing starts fell 5.2% to a 1,221,000 annual rate, with starts in five-plus-unit buildings down 25.9% from a year earlier.
Data
Construction spending rose 0.9% in August after Census revised July up $27 billion
Census says US construction spending ran at $2,203.1 billion SAAR in August 2026, up 0.9% from a July figure revised up by 1.2%.
Feature Markets report
a16z says AI accounts for nearly all new construction spending, and Census shows data centers up 57.2% as the total fell 3.8%
a16z's State of Markets deck credits AI with nearly all new construction spending. Census shows data centers up 57.2% in a year as the total fell 3.8%.
Data
Census revises August building permits up to 1,403,000, still below July
Census revised August building permits to a 1,403,000 annual rate, up from the preliminary estimate but 2.1% below July.
All stories in Census Bureau
| Date | Trend | Category | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data | How to adjust construction spending for inflation, which turns September's 2.3% nonresidential gain into a 3.0% decline | Dividing Census spending by a BLS construction price index separates price from volume, for national data and for your own revenue and backlog. | ||
| Data | Construction spending fell 1.9% in September as residential improvement spending dropped | Census puts September 2026 construction spending at $2,186.1 billion SAAR, down 1.9% from a revised August, as private residential fell 5.5%. | ||
| Data | Housing starts fell 5.2% in September to 1,221,000, the second-lowest rate in 25 months Feature | Census says September housing starts fell 5.2% to a 1,221,000 annual rate, with starts in five-plus-unit buildings down 25.9% from a year earlier. | ||
| Data | Construction spending rose 0.9% in August after Census revised July up $27 billion | Census says US construction spending ran at $2,203.1 billion SAAR in August 2026, up 0.9% from a July figure revised up by 1.2%. | ||
| AI | a16z says AI accounts for nearly all new construction spending, and Census shows data centers up 57.2% as the total fell 3.8% Feature | a16z's State of Markets deck credits AI with nearly all new construction spending. Census shows data centers up 57.2% in a year as the total fell 3.8%. | ||
| Data | Census revises August building permits up to 1,403,000, still below July | Census revised August building permits to a 1,403,000 annual rate, up from the preliminary estimate but 2.1% below July. |