On June 16, 2026, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 9.1 months in May 2026. This is according to ABC’s member survey conducted from May 20 to June 3. The reading is up 0.3 months from April and 0.7 months from May 2025.
“Backlog rose to a nearly three-year high in May,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “This increase largely reflects the massive data center investments taking place across the nation, as the 14% of ABC members under contract to work on data centers continue to have much higher backlog (11.6 months) than those that are not (8.6 months). The way this boom is disproportionately benefiting larger contractors helps to explain why contractor confidence slipped in May even as backlog continued to climb.”
ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales, profit margins and staffing levels fell in May. However, the readings for all three components remain above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations for growth over the next six months.
