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data: US Department of Commerce; graph: ForConstructionPros.com
U.S. Commerce Department data from November measured the value of total U.S. construction put in place rising 0.9% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of $1.459 trillion, the highest level since the government started tracking the series in 2002. The number was lifted by residential construction spending that soared on a 5.1% leap in single-family housing construction, as nonresidential construction spending fell 0.6%.
Ten of the sixteen nonresidential construction subcategories saw decreased spending in November, with notable drops in the power construction, commercial and an 8.7% plunge in lodging construction.
“Private nonresidential construction declined for the fifth-straight month in November, while public nonresidential spending slipped for the fifth time in the past six months,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Unfortunately, our latest survey finds contractors expec