Construction + Economy

The Dodge Momentum Index dropped 3% in August to 148.7 from the revised July reading of 154.0. The commercial planning component lost 2% in August, while the institutional component fell by 6%.

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) recorded its sixth consecutive positive month in July 2021, according to The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The Dodge Momentum Index fell to 155.8 (2000=100) in July, a 6% decline from the revised June reading of 164.9. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year.

Pent-up demand from the pandemic is creating a general spending surge that is helping to improve the outlook on construction spending over the next two years, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Architecture firms reported increasing demand for design services in June 2021, according to The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Continuing its strong rebound, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) recorded its third consecutive month of positive billings, according to The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

In March 2021, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) logged its second positive mark since the beginning of the pandemic, according to The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Continuing the positive momentum of a nearly three-point bump in January, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reached its first positive mark since February 2020, according to The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Total construction starts dropped 4% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $794.3 billion. Nonresidential building starts were flat in January, while nonbuilding starts dropped 10% and residential starts were 4% lower. From a regional perspective, starts were lower in three of the five regions – the Midwest, South Atlantic, and South Central. Starts rose, however, in the Northeast and West.