Catalyst Construction Brief

March 2024

Latest Economic Data
Visit our Economics Hub for analysis and more detail on this latest data.

Construction Spending

U.S. Census Bureau

JAN 2024 vs. JAN 2023


All Construction Spending: +11.7%

Public Construction: +20.1%

Private Construction:  +9.5%

Residential Construction: +5.4%

Non-Residential Construction:  +17.1%



Construction Costs

ENR Construction Cost Index

MAR 2024 vs. MAR 2023


Total Construction Costs: +2.7%

Building Cost Index: +3.8%  

Material Cost Index: +6.2%

Skilled Labor Costs: +3.0%

Common Labor Costs: +2.0% 



Construction Employment

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

FEB 2024


Construction Unemployment: 7.0%



Project Design Activity

AIA Architectural Billings Index

FEB 2024


Architectural Billings Index (ABI): 49.5

New Design Contract Index (DCI): 51.1

New Project Inquiry Index (NPII): 56.0


>50 represents more activity than the prior month. AIA monthly data for each segment and region can be found on our Economics Hub.



Contractor Backlogs

ABC Backlog Indicator

DEC 2023 (4th Quarter)


National Average Backlog: 8.6 months

Highest Backlogs By:


Industry: Commercial (9.1)

Region: South (10.7)

Company Size: $50-100M (12.3)


Complete backlog data for each Industry, Region, and Company Size can be found on our Economics Hub.



Visit our Economics Hub for analysis and more detail on this latest data.
Management Topics

Construction Activity

Construction Starts Fell 8% in February

Labor

FMI: Engage More Women to Improve Labor Constraints in the Construction Industry

Risk Management

Mitigating Four Major Risk Factors in the Construction Industry

Sector Watch: Office Construction

Moody's: Office Real Estate Value Likely to Plunge 26% Through 2025

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