
Financial Foundations: Why Less Than 40% of Construction Companies Founded in 2011 Are Still Open Today
By David McMillin
March 19, 2025
Step back in time, and there’s a good chance that most of the names in the construction business no longer exist. Of the more than 43,000 construction companies that started in the spring of 2011, less than 38% managed to stick around a decade later, according to data from the U....

Capitalizing on Competition: ABC 2025 Top Performers Answer Compelling Questions
By Erika Walter
March 19, 2025
Competition is a constant in the ever-evolving world of construction. It’s fundamental to the bottom line, creates a quality product, invites the best talent and—to be frank—it’s exciting to compete. And it’s even more exciting to be the winner.
So, how are winners in the contra...

Construction Materials Prices Increase 0.6%, Steel Surges Nearly 4% in February
By ABC
March 17, 2025
WASHINGTON, March 13—Construction input prices increased 0.6% in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released recently. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.6% fo...

Construction Labor Force Churn Accelerates in January
By ABC
March 13, 2025
WASHINGTON, March 11—The construction industry had 236,000 job openings on the last day of January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job op...

'This Does Not Mean Recession Is Coming': ABC Convention 2025 Closing Industry Insight Session With Anirban Basu
By Construction Executive
February 28, 2025
“The most salient aspect of life for consumers, contractors and the average American is the elevated rate of inflation.” Anirban Basu began his address to the crowd at ABC Convention 2025 with the one thing that’s been top of mind for Americans for the last half-decade. While inf...

Construction Futures: February 2025 Economic Roundup
By Construction Executive
February 21, 2025
WHAT WE LEARNED IN JANUARY: CONTRACTORS OPTIMISTIC DESPITE COOLING MOMENTUM
The construction industry’s momentum faded somewhat over the past few months. Nonresidential spending growth has stalled, employment growth has slowed to a crawl and materials prices jumped higher in Ja...

Construction Materials Prices Increase 1.4% in January, Up 40.5% Since February 2020
By ABC
February 17, 2025
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13—Construction input prices increased 1.4% in January 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 today. Nonresidential construction input pri...

2025 Small Business Outlook for the Construction Sector
By Ben Johnston
February 13, 2025
2024 will be remembered for many things. One on hand: strong consumer spending and stock performance; low unemployment; rate cuts; an artificial intelligence craze; the election. On the other: high house prices and mortgage rates; stagnant wages; labor shortages. Both the positiv...

Pressing Questions: Construction Leaders Address the Decade's Top Concerns
By David McMillin
February 6, 2025
As the construction industry rounds the halfway mark of the decade, the rearview looks a bit blurry. In just five short years, a global pandemic upended the way the world works, a supply-chain crisis sent material costs soaring and social justice protests forced leaders to reexam...

Nonresidential Construction Spending Down 0.2% in December; Data Centers and Manufacturing Make Up 94% of Spending Increase in 2024
By ABC
February 4, 2025
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3—National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in December 2024, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending tot...
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Construction Futures: January 2025 Economic Roundup
By Construction Executive
While construction backlog, spending and overall momentum slowed in the first month of the year, contractor confidence is unyielding.
Economy

Construction Backlog Indicator Slips in December, Contractor Confidence Remains Elevated
By ABC
Year over year, ABC's Construction Backlog Indicator is down 0.3 months December 2023 to December 2024.
Economy

Construction Underperforms Broader Economy in December Jobs Report
By ABC
As the construction labor force stalled at year's end in 2024, the workforce only logged 8,000 jobs added in December.