The value of construction put-in-place improved 0.1% (-1.9% y/y) during August following a little-revised stability in July. A 0.4% rise had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey.

Construction activity in the private sector was unchanged (-4.0% y/y) following four consecutive months of decline. Residential construction rose 0.9% (-5.0% y/y) after a 0.6% gain. Single-family building jumped 1.4% (-6.6% y/y) after a like increase in July. The value of home improvements rose 0.8% (-6.4% y/y) after a 0.5% slip. Multi-family construction declined 0.9% (+7.4% y/y), the fifth monthly decline this year.

Private nonresidential building activity declined 1.0% (-2.8% y/y) during August, down for the fourth month in the last five. Health care construction weakened 2.0% (+4.6% y/y). Transportation sector construction held steady (-1.5% y/y). Commercial building declined 2.8% (-13.0% y/y) and power construction was off 1.7% (-4.3% y/y). Office construction was little changed (6.2% y/y). To the up-side, factory sector building rose 0.5% (1.6% y/y).

Public sector building activity increased 0.4% during August (4.6% y/y) following a 1.4% increase. Construction of highways & streets rose 0.6% (4.1% y/y). It accounts for roughly one-third of the dollar value of public building activity. Transportation sector building eased 0.5 % (+8.9% y/y) for a second month while commercial construction declined 6.8% (23.6% y/y). Health care building improved 0.7% (-4.9% y/y).

The construction spending figures, some of which date back to 1946, are in Haver's USECON database. The expectations reading can be found in the AS1REPNA database.