National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in March 2026, according to Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
“Nonresidential construction spending contracted yet again in March,” said ABC chief economist Anirban Basu. “While a large portion of the ongoing decline is due to steadily falling manufacturing-related construction activity, weakness is becoming more widespread.”
On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.244 trillion.
On a monthly basis, spending was down in nine of the 16 nonresidential subcategories.
Both public and private nonresidential spending were down 0.2% in March.
“Both public and private sector activity fell in March, and the latter is now down more than 2% on a year-over-year basis,” Basu added. “With the exception of the ongoing boom in data center construction (+34.3% year over year), there are few sources of momentum.”
