ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator is the only economic indicator that reflects the amount of work that will be performed by commercial and industrial construction contractors in the months ahead. The Construction Confidence Index is a diffusion index that signals construction contractors’ expectations for sales, profit margins and staffing levels. View the methodology for both indicators. 

 

News Releases

rss

News Releases

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28—The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Year-over-year GDP growth was 3.1 percent, while average growth for 2018 was 2.9 percent.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21—Construction industry leaders remained predominantly confident about the nonresidential construction sector’s prospects during the final quarter of 2018, according to the latest Construction Confidence Index released today by Associated Builders and Contractors.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2019—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator contracted to 8.9 months during the fourth quarter of 2018, down 1.1 percent from the third quarter and 7.5 percent compared to a year ago. CBI reached a record high of 9.9 months in the second quarter of 2018 and averaged about 9.1 months throughout all four quarters of last year.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14—Construction input prices fell 0.7 percent on a monthly basis in January yet are up 1.6 percent year-over-year according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today. Construction input prices have declined for three consecutive months and in four of the previous six months.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5—Associated Builders and Contractors President and Chief Executive Officer Michael D. Bellaman issued the following remarks on President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1—National nonresidential construction spending declined 1 percent in November, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released today. The release of November data, originally scheduled for Jan. 3, was delayed by the partial government shutdown.  

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1— Construction employment expanded by 52,000 net new jobs in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Industry employment is up by 338,000 net jobs on a yearly basis, which represents an increase of 4.7 percent. Nonresidential construction employment grew by 28,600 net new positions on a monthly basis, although the nonresidential building sub-sector lost 800 net positions. 

ABC construction economic releases are published according to this schedule in 2023

For media inquiries, please contact Erika Walter, ABC director of media relations, at [email protected].

Subscribe to ABC’s news releases and/or subscribe to ABC's weekly newsletter, Newsline.