National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.7% in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data published recently by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.309 trillion.
Spending was up on a monthly basis in 11 of 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was up 1.0%, while public nonresidential construction spending was up 0.2% in August.
“Nonresidential construction spending increased for the fifth consecutive month in August as data center investment accelerates,” said ABC chief economist, Anirban Basu. “Frankly, it’s becoming difficult to contextualize the size and speed of this boom. Data center construction spending leapt another 7.5% in August and is now up more than 73% over the past 12 months. The increases have been particularly large over the past four months, with data center spending increasing at an incredible 149% annualized pace since March.
“While momentum remains particularly concentrated in the data center segment, several other segments posted surprisingly strong spending growth in August,” said Basu. “Manufacturing construction activity, for instance, expanded on a monthly basis for the first time since January, while several public categories grew at a steady, albeit unspectacular, pace.
“Despite this broad improvement, momentum will likely remain confined to the data center and power categories in the months to come,” said Basu. “Materials and labor cost escalation have reemerged during the second half of 2026, and the recent surge in Treasury yields will continue to put upward pressure on borrowing costs. ABC members remain optimistic about the sales outlook, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, yet those sales will increasingly be in a narrow subset of construction categories.”
Additionally, the construction industry posted 251,000 job openings on the last day of August, according to an analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 48,000 last month but are up by 38,000 from the same time last year.
“The August JOLTS data indicate that both the demand for and supply of construction workers are decreasing,” Basu said. “Job openings fell to the lowest level since March, while just 99,000 construction workers were laid off for the month, the fewest in any month since the start of this data series in December 2000.
“These dynamics may seem contradictory but are consistent with ongoing weakness in the residential segment coupled with booming data center activity and the resulting scarcity of certain skilled trades workers,” said Basu. “Nonresidential contractors, which on net expect to increase their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, will likely experience faster labor cost escalation due to these shortages in certain occupational categories like electricians and HVAC workers.”
