Construction Futures: September 2025 Economic Roundup
By Construction Executive
September 26, 2025
What We Learned in September: Construction Industry Begins to Contract
The construction industry continues to struggle in the face of an array of headwinds including trade and immigration policy, high borrowing costs and extraordinarily elevated economic uncertainty. A range of ...
Eyes on the Sky: Regulating DJI Drones on Federal and Private Construction Sites
By Maggie Murphy
September 26, 2025
When Paul Hedgepath walks a construction site, he doesn’t just see steel beams, scaffolding and concrete. He sees the invisible data streams that help keep multimillion-dollar projects on schedule and under budget—much of it captured by drones buzzing silently overhead.
“Drones ...
Construction Backlog Indicator Falls, Contractor Optimism Stable
By ABC
September 16, 2025
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell from 8.8 months in July to 8.5 months in August, according to an ABC member survey conducted Aug. 20 to Sept. 3. The reading is up 0.3 months since August 2024.
V...
ABC Names 2025-2026 Tech Alliance Members
By ABC
September 11, 2025
WASHINGTON, Sept. 11—Associated Builders and Contractors today unveiled the members of its fifth annual Tech Alliance—a cohort of leading technology companies built to create construction tech solutions for the association’s contractor members, which primarily perform work in the...
Construction Materials Prices Up 0.2% in August, Driven by Iron and Steel
By ABC
September 11, 2025
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10—Construction input prices increased 0.2% in August compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices also in...
Nonresidential Construction Spending Falls Sharply in July
By ABC
September 3, 2025
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2—National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.24 tri...
Construction Futures: August 2025 Economic Roundup
By Construction Executive
August 22, 2025
What We Learned in August: Construction Industry Starts to Stall
The construction industry continues to lose momentum as spending continues to fall and hiring remains sluggish. While contractor backlog is still elevated, material price escalation accelerated in July, and ongoing...
Building Supply Distributors: Taking Control of Jobsite Delivery in Uncertain Times
By Cyndi Brandt
August 21, 2025
The unpredictability of the current economic landscape, from inflation and interest rates to tariffs and trade volatility, is a cause for concern for the construction industry. While inflation is showing signs of cooling, reaching its lowest level in April since early 2021, the i...
Is AI Still Missing From Your Construction Company's Toolbox?
By Mike Caralis
August 21, 2025
The construction industry faces persistent challenges, including rising materials costs, an unpredictable supply chain and ongoing labor shortages. And small and midsize businesses—SMBs—in construction are navigating industry shifts such as the move towards smart cities, sustaina...
Construction Materials Prices Jump 0.4% in July
By ABC
August 18, 2025
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14—Construction input prices increased 0.4% in July compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released recently. Nonresidential construction input pri...
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