Nonresidential construction spending inches higher in April 2026

by anthony_capkun_2 | 1 June 2026 1:09 pm

Bar chart titled "Total Nonresidential Construction Spending (April 2015–April 2026)" showing monthly spending rising from about $700 billion in 2015, dipping around 2020-2021, then increasing sharply through 2022-2024 to over $1.2 trillion and leveling off into 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau and Associated Builders and Contractors.[1]

Nonresidential construction spending increased 0.1% in April 2026, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors[2] analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.250 trillion.

Spending was up on a monthly basis in 10 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was down 0.2%, while public nonresidential construction spending was up 0.4% in April.

Spending on data centers, which is included in the office category, increased another 1.9% in April, rising to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $50.7 billion, and is up 28.1% over the past year.

“Nonresidential construction spending inched higher in April, but that growth was entirely due to a sizable increase in public sector activity,” said ABC chief economist Anirban Basu. “Private nonresidential construction spending fell for the seventh consecutive month and is down nearly 8% from December 2023’s all-time high.”

Table titled "Nonresidential Spending Growth" showing April 2026 construction spending with modest overall gains. Total construction rose 0.4% month over month and 0.9% year over year, with mixed results across sectors—gains in conservation, office, and power, and declines in manufacturing and some commercial categories. Source: U.S. Census Bureau and Associated Builders and Contractors.[3]

“While much of the segment’s recent weakness is attributable to the rapid decline in CHIPS* Act-incentivized manufacturing megaprojects, private sector construction momentum has been difficult to find outside of the still-ascendant data center segment,” Basu continued.

* Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors a.k.a. CHIPS and Science Act[4].

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ABC-NonRes-Spending-APR2026-01-800.jpg
  2. Associated Builders and Contractors: https://www.abc.org/
  3. [Image]: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ABC-NonRes-Spending-APR2026-02-800.jpg
  4. CHIPS and Science Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346

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