Economy

US construction spending slips in July

Written by David Schollaert

September 5, 2024

Construction spending in the US in July was slightly lower than June. Despite the decline, it increased notably year on year (y/y).

The US Census Bureau reported July construction spending to be an estimated $2.168 trillion on a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). While this was 0.3% below June’s revised spending rate, it was 6.7% higher than spending in July 2023.

Residential construction spending, at $941.6 billion in July, was off 0.4% month on month (m/m) but 7.7% higher y/y.

July spending on nonresidential construction projects was also marginally down vs. spending in June but was 5.9% higher than July 2023.

Within the nonres category, spending was highest on educational construction. Spending in this subcategory rose 0.9% m/m to $100.8 billion in July. State and local government spending slipped 0.1% and outlays on federal government projects jumped 2.1%.

Commenting on July’s data, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) noted, “Nearly all spending categories show increases from a year ago but have fluctuated in recent months.”

AGC added that while demand for construction remains elevated, demand for workers remains even stronger.

Census figures show total construction spending has been rising notably in recent years (see Figure 1). Spending on residential projects has more or less leveled out over the past year after peaking in 2022. At the same time, spending on nonresidential projects has been surging in recent years.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

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