U.S. Construction Spending Rebounds in March, Exceeding Forecasts
Summary
- Headline +0.6% m/m, first monthly gain in three mths.; +1.6% y/y, fourth straight y/y rise.
- Residential private construction +1.7% m/m, driven by a 2.7% rebound in single-family building.
- Nonresidential private construction -0.2% m/m, fifth decline in six mths.
- Public construction -0.2% m/m, led by a 2.3% drop in residential public building.
Construction spending data for March and February were released today to catch up from delays due to the federal government shutdown in October 2025. The value of construction put in place rose a stronger-than-expected 0.6% m/m in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,185.5 billion, the first monthly rise since December, following declines of 0.2% in February and 1.9% in January (-0.3% initially), data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed. A 0.3% m/m March increase had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The year-on-year rate accelerated to 1.6% in March, the fourth consecutive y/y gain, after holding at 0.4% in February and January (-1.1% in March 2025), though remaining well below a high of 12.9% in December 2023 and a peak of 18.4% in April 2022.
Private construction rose 0.8% (1.0% y/y) to $1,659.0 billion in March, the first m/m increase in three months, after decreases of 0.2% in February and 2.6% in January (-0.6% initially). Residential private construction climbed 1.7% (3.6% y/y) to $929.7 billion in March following a 0.1% downtick in February and a 4.6% drop in January (-0.8% initially). Single-family building recovered 2.7% (-4.2% y/y), the third m/m rise in four months, after a 1.4% February decline; it was 44.9% of the residential private construction. Multi-family building grew 0.3% (0.5% y/y) following a 0.2% February increase and two successive m/m falls; it was 12.4% of the residential private construction. Home improvement building rose 0.9% (14.3% y/y), up for the fifth time in six months, on top of a 1.2% February gain; it was 42.7% of the residential private construction.
Nonresidential private construction fell 0.2% (-2.1% y/y) to $729.4 billion in March, the fifth m/m decline in six months, after a 0.4% decrease in February and no change in January (-0.4% initially). The March decline reflected m/m drops in several nonresidential private construction categories, driven by manufacturing (-1.2%; -17.0% y/y), followed by commercial (-0.6%; +1.5% y/y), lodging (-0.5%; +4.5% y/y), and communication (-0.4%; +1.9% y/y). To the upside, the following nonresidential private constructions rose m/m in March, led by religious (+3.3%; +14.6% y/y), followed by amusement & recreation (+1.3%; +14.2% y/y), office (+1.1%; +9.1% y/y), transportation (+0.4%; +2.3% y/y), utilities (+0.2%; +4.6% y/y), and educational (+0.1%; +7.3% y/y). Meanwhile, health care private construction was essentially unchanged (+1.2% y/y) after a 0.3% February decline.
The value of public construction fell 0.2% (+3.6% y/y) to $526.4 billion in March following a 0.3% decrease in February and a 0.5% gain in January (+0.6% initially), reflecting drops of 2.3% (+0.9% y/y) in residential public construction and 0.2% (+3.7% y/y) in nonresidential public construction. Many nonresidential public construction categories fell m/m in March, led by conservation & development (-3.4%; +7.2% y/y), followed by commercial (-0.7%; -13.2% y/y), transportation (-0.7%; +2.5% y/y), educational (-0.6%; +0.6% y/y), and office (-0.4%; -4.3% y/y). Notably, spending on highways & streets, which accounted for 28.1% of public construction spending, slipped 0.1% (+3.8% y/y), the first m/m decline since October, following a 0.2% February increase. In contrast, the following public constructions rose m/m in March, led by amusement & recreation (+0.8%; +6.3% y/y), followed by utilities (+0.7%; +10.6% y/y), health care (+0.5%; +5.7% y/y), sewage & waste disposal (+0.3%; +9.7% y/y), and public safety (+0.2%; +1.7% y/y). Meanwhile, water supply public construction was virtually unchanged (+5.7% y/y) following a 0.4% February increase and three consecutive m/m decreases.
The construction figures can be found in Haver's USECON database. The expectations figure is from the Action Economics Forecast Survey in AS1REPNA.
Winnie Tapasanun
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Winnie Tapasanun has been working for Haver Analytics since 2013. She has 20+ years of working in the financial services industry. As Vice President and Economic Analyst at Globicus International, Inc., a New York-based company specializing in macroeconomics and financial markets, Winnie oversaw the company’s business operations, managed financial and economic data, and wrote daily reports on macroeconomics and financial markets. Prior to working at Globicus, she was Investment Promotion Officer at the New York Office of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) where she wrote monthly reports on the U.S. economic outlook, wrote reports on the outlook of key U.S. industries, and assisted investors on doing business and investment in Thailand. Prior to joining the BOI, she was Adjunct Professor teaching International Political Economy/International Relations at the City College of New York. Prior to her teaching experience at the CCNY, Winnie successfully completed internships at the United Nations. Winnie holds an MA Degree from Long Island University, New York. She also did graduate studies at Columbia University in the City of New York and doctoral requirements at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her areas of specialization are international political economy, macroeconomics, financial markets, political economy, international relations, and business development/business strategy. Her regional specialization includes, but not limited to, Southeast Asia and East Asia. Winnie is bilingual in English and Thai with competency in French. She loves to travel (~30 countries) to better understand each country’s unique economy, fascinating culture and people as well as the global economy as a whole.
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