HORIZONTV FEATURING BD+C: WATCH EPISODES ON DEMAND AT HORIZONTV

𝕏

Currently Reading

Nonresidential construction spending falters in November

Market Data

Nonresidential construction spending falters in November

Only 4 of 16 subsectors showed gains

By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | January 5, 2016

The latter months of 2015 showed signs that construction spending's momentum had leveled off. Courtesy of Pixabay

Continue Reading

Spending for nonresidential construction, which had been on the uptick for most of 2015, stumbled in the latter months.

The Census Bureau revised downward its spending estimates for September and October, and reported that spending in November stood at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of $688.1 billion, down 0.8% from the lower October figure.

Even though it was still up from November 2014's annualized rate of around $625 billion, November 2015 was the industry's worst-performing month since April 2015.

Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), called Census's latest data “ominous,” because it showed that spending momentum “has softened considerably in recent months.” He added that ABC's surveys of construction executives paint a more dire picture of the industry's state.

“The most recent data suggest that while 2016 may be a year of nonresidential construction spending growth, it may not provide the degree of momentum that characterized much of 2015,” Basu said. He pointed specifically to construction related to the manufacturing sector, which in November was off 28.8% from November 2014. He believes this downturn reflects falling exports and stiffer competition from foreign producers.

ABC's analysis of Census's data found that only four of 16 construction subsectors showed positive gains in November: Communication, which was up 4.4% over October and 27.8% over November 2014; Education (up 3.9% and 13.8%), Office (1.6% and 20.5%), and Transportation (0.2% and 3.1%).

Conversely, spending for Public Safety projects fell 8.1% on a monthly basis, and 5.2% year over year. Even Healthcare, which had been the industry's shining light recently (it was up 5% from November 2014), slipped by 0.1% from October 2015.

Tags

Related Stories

AGC Chart

Market Data | Nov 9, 2021

Continued increases in construction materials prices starting to drive up price of construction projects

Supply chain and labor woes continue.

Construciton worker o site

Market Data | Nov 5, 2021

Construction firms add 44,000 jobs in October

Gain occurs even as firms struggle with supply chain challenges.

Construction site

Market Data | Nov 3, 2021

One-fifth of metro areas lost construction jobs between September 2020 and 2021

Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas and Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade Calif. top lists of gainers.

Person on a construction site

Market Data | Nov 2, 2021

Construction spending slumps in September

A drop in residential work projects adds to ongoing downturn in private and public nonresidential.

Hotel room

Hotel Facilities | Oct 28, 2021

Marriott leads with the largest U.S. hotel construction pipeline at Q3 2021 close

In the third quarter alone, Marriott opened 60 new hotels/7,882 rooms accounting for 30% of all new hotel rooms that opened in the U.S.

Dallas, Texas

Hotel Facilities | Oct 28, 2021

At the end of Q3 2021, Dallas tops the U.S. hotel construction pipeline

The top 25 U.S. markets account for 33% of all pipeline projects and 37% of all rooms in the U.S. hotel construction pipeline.

Construction professionals on a job site

Market Data | Oct 27, 2021

Only 14 states and D.C. added construction jobs since the pandemic began

Supply problems, lack of infrastructure bill undermine recovery.

hotel room

Market Data | Oct 26, 2021

U.S. construction pipeline experiences highs and lows in the third quarter

Renovation and conversion pipeline activity remains steady at the end of Q3 ‘21, with conversion projects hitting a cyclical peak, and ending the quarter at 752 projects/79,024 rooms.

Building from the ground

Market Data | Oct 19, 2021

Demand for design services continues to increase

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for September was 56.6.

Industry experts are positive about real estate's prospects. Images: Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2022

Market Data | Oct 14, 2021

Climate-related risk could be a major headwind for real estate investment

A new trends report from PwC and ULI picks Nashville as the top metro for CRE prospects.

Top Articles

Market Data

Construction spending expected to rise, despite labor and materials snags

K-12 Schools

A Cleveland suburb opens a $31.7 million new middle school and renovated high school

MFPRO+ News

More permits for ADUs than single-family homes issued in San Diego

More In Category

Market Data

Construction spending expected to rise, despite labor and materials snags

In the first half of 2024, construction costs stabilized. And through the remainder of this year, total cost growth is projected to be modest, and matched by an overall increase in construction spending. That prediction can be found in JLL’s 2024 Midyear Construction Update and Reforecast.

Healthcare Facilities

New download: BD+C's 2024 Healthcare Annual Report

Welcome to Building Design+Construction’s 2024 Healthcare Annual Report. This free 66-page special report is our first-ever “state of the state” update on the $65 billion healthcare construction sector.

Contractors

The average U.S. contractor has 8.4 months worth of construction work in the pipeline, as of June 2024

Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 8.4 months in June, according to an ABC member survey conducted June 20 to July 3. The reading is down 0.5 months from June 2023.

Office Buildings

Office vacancy peak of 22% to 28% forecasted for 2026

The work from home trend will continue to put pressure on the office real estate market, with peak vacancy of between 22% and 28% in 2026, according to a forecast by Moody’s.

Most Popular Content