Commercial Construction Spending Tracker: August 2026 Data by Building Type
- Primary data
- U.S. Census Bureau, Value of Construction Put in Place (C30)
- Data period
- January 2014 to August 2026 (monthly); 2019 and 2025 (annual)
- Latest release used
- 2026-10-01
- Next release
- 2026-11-02
- Geography
- United States
- Sources
- 24 (18 Tier 1)
U.S. commercial construction spending, measured as private nonresidential construction, ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $773.0 billion in August 2026, up 1.0% from July and down 1.0% from August 2025. Data centers ($85.0 billion, up 73.2%) and power grew; manufacturing, offices outside data centers, retail and warehouse buildings, and lodging shrank.
This month in brief
- Private nonresidential construction spending was $773.0 billion (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in August 2026, 1.0% above July and 1.0% below August 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau).
- Data centers reached $85.0 billion in August 2026, up 73.2% from a year earlier, and now account for 11.0% of private nonresidential spending and 63.3% of the Census office category.
- Excluding data centers, private nonresidential spending fell 5.9% year over year; excluding data centers and power, it fell 10.0%.
- Manufacturing construction was $168.2 billion, 19.8% below August 2025 and 32.5% below its September 2024 peak of $249.1 billion.
- Since 2019, manufacturing, data centers and power explain 78.2% of the $258.7 billion increase in annual private nonresidential spending.
- After adjusting for construction prices, office construction excluding data centers fell 47.0% from 2019 to 2025, while manufacturing rose 84.5%.
- Public construction was $547.8 billion in August 2026, up 2.5% from a year earlier, led by highways and streets (up 4.4%).
- Census revised July 2026 total construction up by $26.9 billion (1.2%); every 2026 first print for private nonresidential has since been revised higher.
Commercial construction spending in August 2026: the latest reading
Private nonresidential spending rose 1.0% in August 2026 to $773.0 billion, its fifth straight monthly gain in the current Census series, but it remains 1.0% below August 2025 and 4.3% below its November 2024 peak.
Commercial construction spending (as used in this tracker): The Census Bureau value of private nonresidential construction put in place: offices (including data centers), retail, warehouses, hotels, factories, power plants and similar privately owned projects. Census also publishes a narrower category it calls commercial, which covers retail, warehouse and farm buildings; this tracker labels that one commercial (retail, warehouse, farm).
| Measure | Aug 2026 ($B, SAAR) | Jul 2026 revised ($B, SAAR) | Change vs Jul (%) | Aug 2025 ($B, SAAR) | Change vs Aug 2025 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total construction | 2203.1 | 2184.5 | 0.9 | 2242.0 | -1.7 |
| Total nonresidential (private + public) | 1308.5 | 1299.5 | 0.7 | 1302.0 | 0.5 |
| Private nonresidential | 773.0 | 765.0 | 1.0 | 780.4 | -1.0 |
| Private nonresidential excl. data centers | 688.1 | 686.0 | 0.3 | 731.4 | -5.9 |
| Private nonres. excl. data centers and power | 522.2 | 521.5 | 0.1 | 580.1 | -10.0 |
| Public construction (all) | 547.8 | 546.8 | 0.2 | 534.6 | 2.5 |
| Public nonresidential | 535.5 | 534.5 | 0.2 | 521.5 | 2.7 |
| Public highway and street | 150.6 | 150.5 | 0.1 | 144.3 | 4.4 |
| Public educational | 113.1 | 112.9 | 0.1 | 111.7 | 1.3 |
Seasonally adjusted annual rates in current dollars. Rows excluding data centers and power are CB&C calculations from Census detail.
Source: [1][2][4][5] U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Census Bureau
Total U.S. construction spending was $2.20 trillion (SAAR) in August 2026, up 0.9% from July and down 1.7% from August 2025, according to the Census Bureau August 2026 release. Total nonresidential spending, private plus public, was $1.31 trillion, up 0.5% from a year earlier.
The private nonresidential gain of 1.0% was statistically significant (90% confidence interval plus or minus 0.5 points). The total construction gain of 0.9% was not: its interval of plus or minus 1.0 points includes zero.
Private nonresidential spending since 2014: the long view
Private nonresidential spending more than doubled from $353.9 billion in January 2014 to $773.0 billion in August 2026 in current dollars. Without data centers, the series peaked in December 2023 and has since fallen 10.3%.
Monthly, seasonally adjusted annual rate, with and without data centers
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Construction Spending (August 2026 release, October 1, 2026); CB&C calculation for the ex-data-center line
Data center spending was $1.6 billion (SAAR) when Census began publishing the subcategory in January 2014; in August 2026 it was $85.0 billion. The gap between the two lines in the chart is the data center category.
The series is in current dollars. BLS producer price indexes for new nonresidential buildings rose between 36.0% and 49.1% from 2019 to 2025, so part of the long-run increase is inflation; the deflated comparison below and the CB&C construction price index report cover that side.
Spending by building type: which categories are growing and which are shrinking
Five private building types grew year over year in August 2026: data centers, religious buildings, power, amusement and recreation, and communication. Manufacturing, lodging, office excluding data centers, warehouses, educational, health care and the Census commercial category fell.
| Building type (private) | Aug 2026 ($B, SAAR) | Aug 2025 ($B, SAAR) | YoY change (%) | Jan-Aug 2026 ($B, actual) | Jan-Aug 2025 ($B, actual) | YTD change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data center | 85.0 | 49.1 | 73.2 | 45.2 | 31.9 | 41.7 |
| Religious | 6.8 | 5.8 | 17.6 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 23.6 |
| Power | 165.9 | 151.3 | 9.7 | 106.0 | 100.3 | 5.7 |
| Amusement and recreation | 23.4 | 22.3 | 5.2 | 15.4 | 14.4 | 6.7 |
| Communication | 28.5 | 27.6 | 3.3 | 18.2 | 17.7 | 2.6 |
| Transportation | 20.1 | 20.2 | -0.2 | 12.8 | 13.3 | -4.1 |
| Commercial (retail, warehouse, farm) | 116.4 | 123.0 | -5.4 | 77.5 | 82.0 | -5.6 |
| Health care | 57.0 | 60.3 | -5.4 | 37.4 | 39.5 | -5.2 |
| Educational | 24.4 | 26.5 | -8.0 | 16.8 | 17.4 | -3.1 |
| Warehouse (within commercial) | 53.1 | 57.8 | -8.1 | 35.3 | 39.0 | -9.6 |
| Office excl. data center | 49.2 | 54.2 | -9.4 | 32.7 | 36.5 | -10.5 |
| Lodging | 23.3 | 26.0 | -10.1 | 15.4 | 17.2 | -10.4 |
| Manufacturing | 168.2 | 209.8 | -19.8 | 114.6 | 147.3 | -22.2 |
Data center is a Census subcategory of office; office excluding data centers is office minus data center. Warehouse is part of commercial and is not additive. Year-to-date columns are actual (not seasonally adjusted) dollars.
Source: [1][2][3] U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Census Bureau
Percent change, seasonally adjusted annual rate
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Construction Spending (August 2026 release); CB&C calculation for office excluding data centers
Data center (Census definition): Buildings that contain the hardware needed for storing, processing and transmitting digital information. Census reports it as a subcategory of office. The value excludes racks and servers, so the $85.0 billion figure covers the buildings, not the computing equipment (Census definitions).
The Census office category grew 29.8% year over year to $134.1 billion, but that rise is data centers. General office construction was $45.8 billion and financial offices $2.9 billion; office excluding data centers fell 9.4%.
Manufacturing remains large by historical standards at $168.2 billion, more than double its 2019 annual level of $80.5 billion, but it has fallen 32.5% from its September 2024 peak. The AIA Consensus Construction Forecast panel expected a further 11.6% decline in 2026 manufacturing spending as of July 2026.
Monthly, seasonally adjusted annual rate
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Construction Spending, privsatime.xlsx (August 2026 release)
| Building type (private) | 2019 ($B) | Sep 2025-Aug 2026 ($B) | Share 2019 (%) | Share latest 12 mo (%) | Change (pct. points) | Change in spending ($B) | Share of net growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 80.5 | 181.1 | 16.1 | 23.9 | 7.8 | 100.5 | 38.9 |
| Data center | 8.5 | 63.0 | 1.7 | 8.3 | 6.6 | 54.6 | 21.1 |
| Power | 110.4 | 157.7 | 22.1 | 20.8 | -1.3 | 47.3 | 18.3 |
| Commercial (retail, warehouse, farm) | 80.3 | 117.9 | 16.0 | 15.5 | -0.5 | 37.7 | 14.6 |
| Health care | 36.8 | 57.3 | 7.3 | 7.5 | 0.2 | 20.5 | 7.9 |
| Amusement and recreation | 15.8 | 23.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | -0.1 | 7.4 | 2.9 |
| Communication | 22.1 | 28.0 | 4.4 | 3.7 | -0.7 | 5.9 | 2.3 |
| Educational | 21.6 | 25.5 | 4.3 | 3.4 | -0.9 | 3.9 | 1.5 |
| Other private nonresidential (residual) | 1.9 | 4.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 1.0 |
| Transportation | 17.2 | 19.8 | 3.4 | 2.6 | -0.8 | 2.6 | 1.0 |
| Religious | 3.7 | 6.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 1.0 |
| Lodging | 32.3 | 23.6 | 6.5 | 3.1 | -3.4 | -8.7 | -3.4 |
| Office excl. data center | 69.1 | 50.7 | 13.8 | 6.7 | -7.1 | -18.4 | -7.1 |
2019 values are Census annual totals; the latest period sums not seasonally adjusted months September 2025 to August 2026. Current dollars. The residual row covers categories Census does not show separately.
Source: [3][6][7] U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Census Bureau
Percent of private nonresidential total; latest period is September 2025 to August 2026
Source: U.S. Census Bureau annual and monthly construction spending tables; CB&C calculation
Momentum: the last three months against the prior twelve
On a momentum score that compares June to August 2026 with the prior twelve months, data centers (44.2%) and power (6.6%) are accelerating, private nonresidential as a whole is flat (0.5%), and manufacturing is contracting fastest (-12.6%).
| Building type (private) | Jun-Aug 2026 avg ($B, SAAR) | Jun 2025-May 2026 avg ($B, SAAR) | Momentum score (%) | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data center | 78.9 | 54.7 | 44.2 | Accelerating |
| Religious | 6.7 | 6.1 | 11.0 | Accelerating |
| Power | 164.5 | 154.3 | 6.6 | Accelerating |
| Amusement and recreation | 23.5 | 22.9 | 2.8 | Growing |
| Communication | 28.4 | 27.8 | 2.2 | Growing |
| Private nonresidential (all) | 765.6 | 762.0 | 0.5 | Flat |
| Transportation | 19.9 | 19.9 | 0.3 | Flat |
| Health care | 56.9 | 57.9 | -1.7 | Contracting |
| Commercial (retail, warehouse, farm) | 116.6 | 119.4 | -2.4 | Contracting |
| Lodging | 23.3 | 24.2 | -3.6 | Contracting |
| Warehouse (within commercial) | 52.8 | 55.4 | -4.7 | Contracting |
| Office excl. data center | 49.2 | 51.8 | -5.0 | Contracting |
| Educational | 24.6 | 25.9 | -5.4 | Contracting |
| Manufacturing | 168.5 | 192.6 | -12.6 | Contracting |
Score = average SAAR June to August 2026 divided by average SAAR June 2025 to May 2026, minus 1. Signal bands: 5 or more accelerating; above 0.5 growing; minus 0.5 to 0.5 flat; below minus 0.5 contracting.
Source: [2] U.S. Census Bureau
Average of June to August 2026 vs average of June 2025 to May 2026, percent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, privsatime.xlsx (August 2026 release); CB&C momentum calculation
Leading indicators point the same way. The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index was 47.2 in August 2026, below the 50 line that separates rising from falling billings. The Dodge Momentum Index was 282.0 in August 2026, up 4.2% from a year earlier, but Dodge said its commercial planning segment would be down 18.9% year over year without data centers.
The Federal Reserve's September 2026 Beige Book said nonresidential construction increased on balance, with some Districts noting a high concentration of activity related to data center projects. The Bureau of Economic Analysis said nonresidential structures, led by commercial and health care (mainly data centers), were a leading contributor to its upward revision of second-quarter 2026 private fixed investment (BEA, September 30, 2026).
Inflation-adjusted change by building type since 2019
Where a matching BLS producer price index exists, deflated spending tells a sharper story than current dollars: manufacturing rose 84.5% in real terms from 2019 to 2025, while office excluding data centers fell 47.0% and educational fell 11.4%.
| Building type (private) | 2019 nominal ($B) | 2025 nominal ($B) | Nominal change (%) | BLS PPI used as deflator | PPI 2019 annual avg | PPI 2025 annual avg | Price change (%) | Real change 2019-2025 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 80.5 | 213.8 | 165.5 | PCU236211236211 (New industrial building construction) | 135.4 | 194.891 | 43.9 | 84.5 |
| Warehouse (within commercial) | 34.8 | 57.8 | 66.4 | PCU236221236221 (New warehouse building construction) | 159.5 | 234.800 | 47.2 | 13.0 |
| Office excl. data center | 69.1 | 54.5 | -21.0 | PCU236223236223 (New office building construction) | 142.6 | 212.627 | 49.1 | -47.0 |
| Health care | 36.8 | 59.3 | 61.4 | PCU236224236224 (New health care building construction) | 116.8 | 160.320 | 37.3 | 17.6 |
| Educational | 21.6 | 26.1 | 20.6 | PCU236222236222 (New school building construction) | 169.8 | 230.973 | 36.0 | -11.4 |
Producer price indexes are used only as deflators. No BLS index exists for data center, power or lodging construction, so those types are excluded.
Source: [6][7][15][16] U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Percent change; real change deflated with the matching BLS producer price index
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau annual construction spending; BLS Producer Price Index (new building construction); CB&C calculation
Construction prices for new office buildings rose 49.1% between the 2019 and 2025 annual averages of BLS series PCU236223236223. Nominal office spending excluding data centers fell 21.0% over the same years, so the real decline is much deeper than the dollar figures suggest.
Price indexes are used here only as deflators. For price trends themselves, see the CB&C construction price index report. Owners comparing current bids against these trends can use the CB&C guide on how to compare construction bids.
Public construction spending in 2026
Public construction is rising more steadily than private nonresidential work: $547.8 billion in August 2026, up 2.5% from a year earlier and up 1.2% year to date.
Public highway and street spending was $150.6 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, up 4.4% from August 2025. Public educational spending was $113.1 billion, up 1.3%. Public nonresidential spending in total was $535.5 billion, up 2.7%.
On an annual basis, public construction rose from $344.3 billion in 2019 to $536.8 billion in 2025, a 55.9% increase in current dollars. Census publishes these figures nationally each month; for firm and employment counts by state see commercial builders by state, and for one regional market see the South Florida commercial construction report.
When this tracker updates next
This page is refreshed after each Census construction spending release. The next two releases are scheduled for November 2, 2026 (September data) and December 1, 2026 (October data).
- November 2, 2026: September 2026 construction spending (Census release schedule).
- December 1, 2026: October 2026 construction spending (Census release schedule).
- What to watch: whether data center spending holds above $85.0 billion, whether manufacturing stays near $168.2 billion after falling from its September 2024 peak, and the size of revisions to August.
- Revision risk: Census reports an average absolute revision of 0.75% from preliminary to first revision for private construction. In 2026 every monthly first print for private nonresidential spending has been revised up; January 2026 was first published at $728.2 billion and now stands at $748.6 billion (2.8% higher). All revisions are listed in derived_metrics.csv.
Momentum and share analysis
Real (inflation-adjusted) change by building type, 2019 to 2025
Formula((nominal 2025 / nominal 2019) / (PPI 2025 annual average / PPI 2019 annual average) - 1) x 100
Inputs: Fact sheet annual rows for 2019 and 2025 by type; BLS PPI rows for PCU236211236211, PCU236221236221, PCU236222236222, PCU236223236223, PCU236224236224; table t5 (fact sheet rows)
Result: Manufacturing 84.5%; health care 17.6%; warehouse 13.0%; educational -11.4%; office excluding data centers -47.0%.
Only manufacturing grew strongly in real terms. Office excluding data centers lost almost half of its real volume, and private educational construction shrank once prices are accounted for.
Limitations: PPIs track bid prices for standard new buildings, not the mix of new work and renovations in Census spending. School PPI is applied to all private educational work and office PPI to office excluding data centers. No PPI exists for data center, power or lodging construction.
Share shift: each building type's share of private nonresidential spending, 2019 vs latest twelve months
Formulatype spending / private nonresidential spending x 100, for calendar 2019 and for September 2025 to August 2026
Inputs: Census annual 2019 rows; monthly not seasonally adjusted series summed for September 2025 to August 2026; table t3 (fact sheet rows)
Result: Manufacturing 16.1% to 23.9%; data center 1.7% to 8.3%; office excluding data centers 13.8% to 6.7%; lodging 6.5% to 3.1%; power 22.1% to 20.8%.
Factories and data centers gained share; offices and hotels lost most of theirs. Power kept a similar share while growing in dollars.
Limitations: Current dollars. The latest window includes a preliminary month. Annual 2019 values come from an older Census vintage table and may differ slightly from monthly sums.
Momentum score by building type
Formula(average SAAR June to August 2026 / average SAAR June 2025 to May 2026 - 1) x 100
Inputs: Census privsatime.xlsx monthly values (fact sheet monthly series row); table t4 (fact sheet rows)
Result: Data center 44.2%; power 6.6%; all private nonresidential 0.5%; warehouse -4.7%; manufacturing -12.6%.
Recent spending is running well above the past year only in data centers, power and a few small categories. Most traditional building types are running below their twelve-month average.
Limitations: Recent months are preliminary and have been revised up repeatedly in 2026; scores for small categories such as religious buildings move on small dollar changes.
Concentration of growth since 2019
Formula(sum of the three largest type gains) / (total private nonresidential gain) x 100, 2019 vs September 2025 to August 2026
Inputs: Table t3 change column; derived metric rows for TTM total and growth (fact sheet rows)
Result: Manufacturing, data centers and power added $202.4 billion of the $258.7 billion increase, or 78.2%.
Nonresidential growth since 2019 rests on three building types. Office excluding data centers and lodging subtracted from growth.
Limitations: Share of net growth, not gross: declining types reduce the denominator. Current dollars, so price inflation inflates all gains.
Private nonresidential spending excluding data centers (and power)
Formulaprivate nonresidential - data center (- power), percent change August 2025 to August 2026
Inputs: Fact sheet rows for private nonresidential, data center and power, August 2025 and August 2026 (fact sheet rows)
Result: Excluding data centers -5.9%; excluding data centers and power -10.0%, against -1.0% for the headline.
The headline decline understates how weak the rest of the market is.
Limitations: Subtraction mixes series with different sampling error; power estimates rely partly on utility forecasts.
Findings to track
- Private nonresidential construction spending was $773.0 billion (SAAR) in August 2026 in the United States, up 1.0% from a revised $765.0 billion in July 2026.[1]
- Year over year, U.S. private nonresidential spending was down 1.0% from $780.4 billion in August 2025.[1]
- U.S. data center construction spending was $85.0 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, up 73.2% from $49.1 billion in August 2025.[2]
- Excluding data centers, U.S. private nonresidential spending fell 5.9% between August 2025 and August 2026, from $731.4 billion to $688.1 billion.[1][2]
- U.S. private power construction was $165.9 billion in August 2026, up 9.7% from August 2025.[1]
- U.S. private manufacturing construction was $168.2 billion in August 2026, down 19.8% from August 2025 and 32.5% from its September 2024 peak.[1][2]
- U.S. private commercial construction (retail, warehouse and farm buildings) was $116.4 billion in August 2026, down 5.4% year over year; warehouses alone fell 8.1%.[1][2]
- U.S. private lodging construction was $23.3 billion in August 2026, down 10.1% from August 2025.[1]
- U.S. office construction excluding data centers was $49.2 billion in August 2026, down 9.4% year over year.[1][2]
- Data centers rose from 1.7% of U.S. private nonresidential spending in 2019 to 8.3% in the twelve months to August 2026.[3][7]
- Manufacturing, data centers and power account for 78.2% of the $258.7 billion rise in U.S. private nonresidential spending between 2019 and the twelve months to August 2026.[3][6][7]
- Deflated by the BLS new office building PPI, U.S. office construction excluding data centers fell 47.0% in real terms from 2019 to 2025.[6][7][15]
- U.S. public construction spending was $547.8 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, up 2.5% from August 2025.[1]
- January to August 2026 U.S. private nonresidential spending totaled $499.3 billion, 4.8% less than in the same period of 2025.[1]
Questions people ask
Is commercial construction slowing down in 2026?
Yes for most building types, no for data centers and power. Private nonresidential spending was $773.0 billion in August 2026, 1.0% below August 2025, and January to August spending was 4.8% below the same months of 2025 (Census). Excluding data centers, spending fell 5.9% year over year. Monthly readings have risen since spring, and first prints in 2026 have been revised up.
What type of construction spending is growing the fastest?
Data centers. U.S. data center construction spending was $85.0 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, up 73.2% from August 2025 and up 46.2% since March 2026 (Census). Among large categories, power was next at 9.7% year over year.
How much does the US spend on data center construction?
$85.0 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in August 2026, and $45.2 billion in actual spending from January to August 2026, 41.7% more than the $31.9 billion in the same months of 2025. Annual spending was $49.7 billion in 2025 and $8.5 billion in 2019. These figures cover buildings only; Census excludes racks and servers.
How much is spent on office construction?
Census private office spending was $134.1 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, but $85.0 billion of that was data centers. Office excluding data centers was $49.2 billion, down 9.4% from August 2025. Public office construction added $16.6 billion.
Is public construction spending rising?
Yes. Public construction was $547.8 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, up 2.5% from August 2025 and up 1.2% year to date, led by highway and street work (up 4.4%). Annual public spending rose 55.9% in current dollars from 2019 to 2025 (Census).
Download the data
Every table in this report is available as a CSV under CC BY 4.0. The fact sheet lists each value with its source URL and access date.
- derived_metrics.csv (CSV)
- fact_sheet.csv (CSV)
- Latest reading: U.S. construction spending, August 2026 (CSV)
- Private construction spending by building type, August 2026 (CSV)
- Share shift and concentration: private nonresidential spending, 2019 vs latest twelve months (CSV)
- Momentum score by building type (CSV)
- Inflation-adjusted change by building type, 2019 to 2025 (CSV)
- Monthly series: private nonresidential spending by building type, January 2014 to August 2026 (CSV)
For journalists and researchers
If you cite only a few, cite these
- U.S. data center construction spending reached $85.0 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, up 73.2% in twelve months.[2]
- Excluding data centers, U.S. private nonresidential construction spending fell 5.9% between August 2025 and August 2026.[1][2]
- Manufacturing, data centers and power account for 78.2% of U.S. private nonresidential spending growth since 2019.[3][6][7]
Most quotable statistics
- U.S. private nonresidential construction spending was $773.0 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, down 1.0% from a year earlier.[1]
- U.S. data center construction spending reached $85.0 billion (SAAR) in August 2026, up 73.2% in twelve months.[2]
- Excluding data centers, U.S. private nonresidential construction spending fell 5.9% between August 2025 and August 2026.[1][2]
- Manufacturing, data centers and power account for 78.2% of U.S. private nonresidential spending growth since 2019.[3][6][7]
- Adjusted for construction prices, U.S. office construction excluding data centers fell 47.0% from 2019 to 2025.[6][7][15]
- U.S. private manufacturing construction was $168.2 billion in August 2026, 32.5% below its September 2024 peak.[1][2]
- Data centers grew from 1.7% to 8.3% of U.S. private nonresidential construction spending between 2019 and the twelve months to August 2026.[3][7]
Press summary
U.S. private nonresidential construction spending, the core of commercial construction, ran at $773.0 billion (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in August 2026, up 1.0% from July but 1.0% below August 2025, according to Census Bureau data released October 1, 2026 and analyzed by Commercial Builders & Contractors. Growth is concentrated. Data center construction reached $85.0 billion, up 73.2% in a year, and power rose 9.7%. Excluding data centers, private nonresidential spending fell 5.9%. Manufacturing construction was 32.5% below its September 2024 peak, and lodging, warehouse and office excluding data centers each fell by 8.1% or more. Since 2019, manufacturing, data centers and power explain 78.2% of private nonresidential growth. Adjusted for construction prices, office construction excluding data centers fell 47.0% from 2019 to 2025. From January to August 2026, private nonresidential spending totaled $499.3 billion, 4.8% less than a year earlier. Public construction rose 2.5% year over year. Census publishes September data on November 2, 2026.
Suggested headlines
- Data center construction hits $85.0 billion pace, up 73.2% in a year
- Without data centers, U.S. commercial construction spending fell 5.9% in the past year
- Three building types explain 78.2% of nonresidential construction growth since 2019
- Factory construction is 32.5% below its peak
- Office construction excluding data centers is down 47.0% in real terms since 2019
How to cite this report
Commercial Builders & Contractors. (2026). Commercial Construction Spending Tracker: August 2026 Data by Building Type. Retrieved from https://commercialbuildersandcontractors.com/commercial-construction-spending/
Reuse license
Data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0. Attribution: “Source: Commercial Builders & Contractors, Commercial Construction Spending Tracker: August 2026 Data by Building Type” with a link to this page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest U.S. commercial construction spending figure?
Private nonresidential construction spending was $773.0 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in August 2026, published by the Census Bureau on October 1, 2026.
What does seasonally adjusted annual rate mean?
It is the monthly value adjusted for normal seasonal patterns and multiplied up to a full-year pace. It is not the amount spent in that month. Actual monthly dollars appear in the not seasonally adjusted tables.
Are data centers counted as commercial construction?
Census counts data centers as a subcategory of office, not of its narrower commercial (retail, warehouse, farm) category. This tracker includes them in private nonresidential spending, where they made up 11.0% in August 2026.
Why is Census office construction rising?
Because data centers sit inside the Census office category. Office excluding data centers fell 9.4% between August 2025 and August 2026.
How much has manufacturing construction fallen?
Private manufacturing construction was $168.2 billion in August 2026, down 19.8% from August 2025 and 32.5% from its September 2024 peak of $249.1 billion.
Is warehouse construction still falling?
Yes. Private warehouse construction was $53.1 billion in August 2026, down 8.1% from August 2025, with a momentum score of -4.7%.
How reliable is the latest month?
The latest month is preliminary. Census reports an average absolute revision of 0.75% from preliminary to first revision for private construction, and its 2025 imputation rate for private nonresidential projects was 77.8%.
How large were the revisions in the August 2026 release?
July 2026 total construction was revised up $26.9 billion, or 1.2%. July private nonresidential spending moved from $755.2 billion to $765.0 billion.
Do these figures include equipment such as servers or factory machinery?
No. Census value put in place excludes production machinery and special purpose equipment such as racks or servers in data centers.
When is the next construction spending release?
Census is scheduled to publish September 2026 data on November 2, 2026 and October 2026 data on December 1, 2026.
Methodology
Source selection: the primary dataset is the U.S. Census Bureau Value of Construction Put in Place survey (C30), August 2026 release published October 1, 2026, the most recent release on the access date. Monthly building-type detail, including the data center subcategory, comes from the Census time-series workbooks privsatime.xlsx (seasonally adjusted) and privtime.xlsx (not seasonally adjusted). Annual 2019 and 2025 values come from the Census annual tables. First-print values come from earlier 2026 Census release tables.
Inclusion rules: Tier 1 sources are government statistical agencies (Census, BLS, BEA, Federal Reserve). Tier 2 sources are trade bodies and industry data firms (ABC, AGC, AIA, Dodge Construction Network); only their published headline figures are cited, never their tables. Tier 3 commentary was reviewed only to compare page coverage. Market research estimates were not used. Claims that could not be verified on an opened page were dropped and are listed in excluded.md.
Definitions: commercial construction spending in this tracker means Census private nonresidential construction. Census places data centers inside office, and its own commercial category covers retail, warehouse and farm buildings. Office excluding data centers is office minus data center. Census value put in place excludes racks, servers and production machinery.
Conflicting numbers: ABC reports total nonresidential spending (private plus public, $1.309 trillion in August 2026), while this tracker leads with private nonresidential ($773.0 billion). Both come from the same Census table. Earlier first prints differ from current values because of Census revisions; this tracker always uses the latest vintage and shows the revisions separately.
Derived metrics: year-over-year and month-over-month changes use seasonally adjusted annual rates. Year-to-date and trailing twelve-month comparisons use not seasonally adjusted actual dollars. Real changes divide nominal growth by growth in the matching BLS producer price index annual average (M13) for 2019 and 2025; series IDs were verified in the BLS pc.series file. The momentum score compares the June to August 2026 average with the June 2025 to May 2026 average. Concentration divides the three largest dollar gains by the total net gain since 2019. Every formula, input row and result is in derived_metrics.csv, and the scripts folder reproduces all tables from the raw files.
Limitations: the latest month is preliminary and 2026 first prints have been revised up repeatedly. Census reported a 77.8% imputation rate and a 17.9% unit response rate for private nonresidential projects in 2025. Preliminary electric and gas estimates are based partly on annual industry forecasts. All dollar values are current dollars unless labelled real. The tracker covers the United States only; Census does not publish monthly state values for these categories.
Not advice: this page reports public statistics and does not provide investment, legal, tax or financial advice.
Last updated: October 3, 2026, using the August 2026 Census release. Data tables and CSV files are published under CC BY 4.0; attribute as: Commercial Builders & Contractors, Commercial Construction Spending Tracker, using U.S. Census Bureau data.
This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, financial or investment advice.
Sources, ranked by quality
Tier 1: primary and official sources (18)
- [1] U.S. Census Bureau. Monthly Construction Spending, August 2026 (release CB26-158). August 2026 (released 2026-10-01). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [2] U.S. Census Bureau. Value of Private Construction Put in Place, Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (privsatime.xlsx). January 1993 to August 2026. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [3] U.S. Census Bureau. Value of Private Construction Put in Place, Not Seasonally Adjusted (privtime.xlsx). January 1993 to August 2026. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [4] U.S. Census Bureau. Value of Public Construction Put in Place, Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (pubsatime.xlsx). January 1993 to August 2026. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [5] U.S. Census Bureau. Value of Construction Put in Place, Total, Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (totsatime.xlsx). January 1993 to August 2026. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [6] U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Value of Private Construction Put in Place 2022 to 2025 (private.xlsx). 2022 to 2025. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [7] U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Value of Private Construction Put in Place 2012 to 2021 (privateha2.xlsx). 2012 to 2021. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [8] U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Value of Public Construction Put in Place 2022 to 2025 (public.xlsx). 2022 to 2025. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [9] U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Value of Public Construction Put in Place 2012 to 2021 (publicha2.xlsx). 2012 to 2021. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [10] U.S. Census Bureau. Monthly Construction Spending, July 2026 release tables (pr202607.xlsx). July 2026 (released 2026-09-01). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [11] U.S. Census Bureau. Monthly Construction Spending, earlier 2026 release tables (pr202601, pr202603 to pr202606). January to June 2026 first prints. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [12] U.S. Census Bureau. Construction Spending: Definitions. Current definitions. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [13] U.S. Census Bureau. Construction Spending: Methodology (Value Put in Place). Methodology page last revised 2026-09-01; 2025 response rates. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [14] U.S. Census Bureau. Construction Spending: Release Schedule 2025 and 2026. Release dates through December 2026. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [15] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Producer Price Index industry data, construction (pc.data.75.Construction). 2019 to August 2026. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [16] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Producer Price Index industry series list (pc.series). Series metadata as of 2026-10-03. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [17] U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. GDP (Third Estimate), 2nd Quarter 2026 and Annual Update. Q2 2026 (released 2026-09-30). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [18] Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Beige Book, National Summary, September 2026. Early July to late August 2026 (released 2026-09-02). Accessed 2026-10-03.
Tier 2: trade bodies, market research, company data (5)
- [19] Associated Builders and Contractors. ABC: Data Center Construction Spending Growing at 149% Annualized Pace Since March. August 2026 (published 2026-10-01). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [20] Associated General Contractors of America. Construction Spending Rises in August but Trails Last Year. August 2026 (published 2026-10-01). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [21] American Institute of Architects. ABI August 2026: Architecture firm billings continue to decline. August 2026 (published 2026-09-23). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [22] American Institute of Architects. July 2026 Consensus Construction Forecast. Forecast for 2026 and 2027 (published 2026-07-20). Accessed 2026-10-03.
- [23] Dodge Construction Network. Dodge Momentum Index Flat in August. August 2026 (published 2026-09-08). Accessed 2026-10-03.
Tier 3: journalism and expert commentary (1)
- [24] Trading Economics. United States Construction Spending. August 2026 summary page. Accessed 2026-10-03.