Construction Resources Archives - Page 2 of 4

Construction Material Price April Analysis

May 20, 2026 Taylor Moore

According to Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of federal Producer Price Index (PPI) data, overall construction input prices rose 1.7% from March to April and are now up 6.2% since January. The biggest drivers in April were energy and metals-related materials, including crude petroleum, natural gas, iron and steel, which can ripple through everything from transportation and asphalt to building systems and structural components. As prices of materials rise, the cost of building both housing and its associated infrastructure also increases. For counties, this trend is significant as tightening budgets…

Residential building workers’ wage subdues

May 20, 2026May 20, 2026 Taylor Moore

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, residential building workers’ wage growth remained subdued in the first quarter of 2026, a reflection of easing construction activity and labor demand. Wages remain strong relative to other industries, at 8.4% higher than the manufacturing sector, 22.4% higher than the transportation and warehousing sector and 3.6% lower than the mining and logging sector. Both nominal and inflation-adjusted wage gains remained calm. Average hourly earnings for residential building workers increased 2.1% year-over-year in March, down from the 9.4% peak in mid-2024.…

Building materials see price increase

May 20, 2026 Taylor Moore

According to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI), prices of building materials used in residential construction were up 3.7% in April. Soaring energy prices caused a spike in the overall April PPI reading to 6% compared to last year. Including energy, the price index for inputs to new residential construction was up 5.9% from last year, with the price of goods used in new residential construction up 6.1% from last year. Among input goods, the largest year-over-year increase was for No. 2 diesel fuel as prices were 74.4% higher than…

U.S. home builder sentiment increases in May

May 20, 2026 Taylor Moore

Home builder sentiment increased in May across the U.S. This month, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose to 37, up from 34 in April. About 32% of builders cut prices in May as a sale incentive to potential homebuyers. The price cut was down from 36% in April, with an average price reduction of 6%, versus 5% in April. The use of sales incentives was 61% in May, up from 60% in April, the 14th straight month at 60% or higher. The survey’s measure of current…

Residential leads U.S. construction spending

May 13, 2026 Taylor Moore

According to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America, U.S. construction spending increased 0.6% from February to March, with gains in residential construction and data center-related projects. Residential construction spending rose 3.6% compared with a year earlier, including a 2.7% monthly increase in single-family construction. Total construction spending reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.186 trillion in March, up 1.6% from March 2025. Private construction spending increased 0.8% for the month and 1.0% year over year, while multifamily construction increased 0.5% year over year. Association officials noted,…

Construction jobs see life for two consecutive months

May 13, 2026May 13, 2026 Taylor Moore

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, both the U.S. labor market and construction job market continued to show resilience for two consecutive months. Employment in the overall construction sector rose by 9,000 jobs in April. Residential construction employment now stands at 3.3 million in April, including 927,000 workers employed by builders and remodelers and nearly 2.4 million residential specialty trade contractors. A report from the National Association of Homebuilders noted that the number of open construction sector jobs increased, rising slightly from 201,000 in February to 224,000 in March.…

Construction workforce shifts

April 29, 2026 Taylor Moore

According to the National Association of Homebuilders’ (NAHB) analysis of the latest 2024 data from the American Community Survey (ACS), the long-running shift in the construction labor force away from construction trades and toward management, business and technical roles is ongoing and gaining momentum. While the total industry employment now exceeds the levels reached during the 2005 to 2006 housing boom, the composition of that workforce has changed markedly. The share of construction trades workers has declined from 71% in 2005 to 59% in 2024. At the same time, the…

New data provides overview of March construction prices

April 22, 2026 Taylor Moore

According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released on April 14, 2026, construction input prices increased 2.2% in March compared to the previous month. However, prices decreased in two of the three energy subcategories last month. Natural gas and unprocessed energy materials prices were down 51.7% and 7.7%, respectively. “Construction materials prices surged in March and are now up 4.8% year over year, the largest annual increase since January 2023,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “This monthly increase…

Young adults’ interest in construction trades doubles

April 22, 2026 Sofia Feeney

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released new survey research on the interest of construction trades for young adults. The study focuses on ages 18 to 25 and their perception and interest of working in construction trades. In 2016, NAHB conducted a similar survey. Since then, the interest has doubled from 3 to 6%. Importantly the study also found that more young adults are unsure of what field to build a career in. The figure has dropped from 74% in 2016 to 65% now. “The two most important benefits…