US Construction Spending Fell 1.9% in September as Residential Spending Dropped 5.5%
The U.S. Census Bureau released its monthly construction spending report (CB26-176) on November 2: construction spending in September 2026 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,186.1 billion, 1.9 percent below the revised August estimate of $2,227.4 billion and 2.7 percent below the September 2025 estimate of $2,245.8 billion.
Private construction drove the decline, falling 2.4 percent to an annual rate of $1,639.3 billion. Residential construction dropped 5.5 percent to $848.8 billion from the revised August estimate of $898.0 billion, while nonresidential construction rose 1.1 percent to $790.6 billion, one of the month's few gainers.
Public construction spending was essentially flat at $546.8 billion, down 0.1 percent. Educational construction held steady at $113.1 billion, and highway and street construction eased 0.3 percent to $149.2 billion.
During the first nine months of 2026, construction spending totaled $1,649.6 billion, 2.9 percent below the $1,698.6 billion recorded in the same period of 2025. The October report is scheduled for release on December 1.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：道路施工人员正在铺设沥青路面（资料图）。美国陆军工程兵团摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A road crew paving asphalt (file photo). Photo by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
