Dodge Data & Analytics, New York, has reported construction starts rose 3.1% in September after climbing 1.7% in August.
Nonresidential building construction rose 11.9% in September as manufacturing starts jumped 45.2%, commercial starts grew 21.2%, and institutional starts advanced 0.9%.
Residential building construction rose 3.6% in September. Single-family housing increased 1.7%, and multifamily starts grew 6.4%.
Nonbuilding construction fell 6.2% in September.
For the 12 months ending September, total construction starts were up 6.7% compared with the 12 months ending September 2024. Nonbuilding construction rose 16.7%; nonresidential building climbed 6.8%; and residential building fell 1.4%.
“September construction starts data marks the third month of steady improvements,” said Eric Gaus, chief economist at Dodge Construction Network. “However, a 3% growth rate is just keeping up with inflation, and we need fourth quarter growth of 25% to match annual growth of 2024. Megaprojects continue to provide significant report; just six projects accounted for 12% of the total value in September.”
