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

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News Releases

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14—Construction input prices rose 1.5% in August compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 1.5% for the month, but are up just 0.2% from a year ago.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29—Associated Builders and Contractors issued a statement from Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Aug. 29 final rule further revising the definition of “waters of the United States.”

Associated Builders and Contractors today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability’s passage of the Fair and Open Competition Act, H.R. 1209. FOCA would protect federal and federally assisted construction contracts from anti-competitive and inflationary government-mandated project labor agreements and allow merit shop contractors and their skilled employees to have a fair chance at competing to win government contracts to build taxpayer-funded construction projects.

WASHINGTON, May 2—National nonresidential construction spending was down 0.8% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $839.2 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, March 8—Associated Builders and Contractors today released its fourth annual Top Performers lists, which ranks its commercial and industrial contractor members that build long-lasting, high-quality construction projects, based on work hours. 

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11—Construction input prices fell 0.5% in November compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices fell 0.4% for the month.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 7.2 months in November, a decrease of 0.5 months from October’s reading, according to an ABC member survey conducted from Nov. 20 to Dec. 2. Backlog is 1.7 months lower than in November 2019.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4—The construction industry added 27,000 net new jobs in November, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the last seven months, the industry has added 804,000 jobs, recovering 74% of the losses incurred during earlier stages of the pandemic.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1—National nonresidential construction spending was virtually unchanged in October, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, spending totaled $792.4 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18―Associated Builders and Contractors’ Board of Directors elected Steve Klessig, vice president of architecture and engineering, Keller Inc., to serve as the 2020 ABC national chair during a meeting at the association’s annual Leadership Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13—Construction input prices remained virtually unchanged in October compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also remained unchanged for the month.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29—The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized rate of 33.1% during the third quarter of 2020, helping to offset a significant share of the economic loss sustained during the second quarter, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Increases in personal consumption expenditures, private inventory investment and exports drove the partial rebound.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14—Construction input prices increased 1.6% in September compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of Producer Price Index data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonresidential construction input prices rose 1.4% for the month.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2—The construction industry added 26,000 jobs on net in September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the last five months, the industry has added 689,000 jobs, recovering approximately 64% of the jobs lost since the start of the pandemic.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rebounded to 8.0 months in August, an increase of 0.2 months from July’s reading, according to an ABC member survey conducted Aug. 20-Sept. 1. The August backlog is a half-month lower than in August 2019.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10—Construction input prices expanded 0.6% in August over the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.3% for the month.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4—Construction industry employment expanded by 16,000 jobs on net in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the last four months, the industry added 658,000 jobs, recovering approximately 61% of the jobs lost during March and April.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19—Twenty-six teams of undergraduate students from colleges and universities nationwide put their construction project leadership skills to the test during Associated Builders and Contractors’ annual Construction Management Competition, held virtually for the first time this week. The four-person teams, which were assigned to complete the same construction management project, received awards in five categories.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11—Construction input prices rose 1.9% in July over the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices rose 1.8% for the month.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 7.8 months in July, a decrease of 0.3 months from the June reading, according to an ABC member survey conducted from July 20 to Aug. 5. Backlog is a full month lower than in July 2019.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7—The construction industry added 20,000 jobs on net in July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the last three months, the industry has added 639,000 jobs, recovering roughly 59% of the jobs lost since the start of the pandemic-induced recession.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3—National nonresidential construction spending declined 0.2% in June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, spending totaled $812.9 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, July 15—Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Legislative & Political Affairs Kristen Swearingen issued the following statement on the final National Environmental Policy Act rule, which was released today:

WASHINGTON, July 14—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.1 months in June, an increase of 0.2 months from May’s reading. CBI is down approximately 8% from its June 2019 level. Every region except the Middle States experienced an increase in backlog in June compared to May, according to an ABC member survey conducted from June 20-July 1.

WASHINGTON, July 10—Construction input prices rose 2.2% in June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices rose by 2.3% for the month.

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].

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