ABC: July Nonresidential Construction Spending Growth Entirely Due to Data Centers

National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.1% in July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.286 trillion. Spending was down on a monthly basis in 8 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential construction spending was up 0.4%, while public nonresidential spending was down 0.2% in July. “The increase in nonresidential construction spending that occurred in July was entirely due to data centers,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Excluding that booming category, nonresidential spending fell for the second straight month and […]

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Former Maryland Secretary of Labor Named ABC VP of Workforce and Safety Policy

Associated Builders and Contractors announced that Tiffany Robinson has joined the association as its vice president of workforce and safety policy. Robinson brings deep experience in executive leadership, workforce development, public policy and infrastructure to ABC. As a member of ABC’s executive leadership team, Robinson will lead research, policy and strategic initiatives designed to strengthen the construction workforce, advance health and safety and help expand America’s capacity to build critical infrastructure. She will work closely with ABC’s 67 chapters and 24,000 members to identify emerging workforce and safety challenges and develop proactive, research-driven solutions. Prior to joining ABC, Robinson served […]

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Merit Shop Apprenticeship Program Enrollment Up 60%, Growing Faster Than Unions

Nonunion apprenticeship programs and participants were responsible for the vast majority of growth in construction registered apprenticeship programs, or RAPs, over the past five years, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data. “The DOL data show that ABC and merit shop contractors are leading the industry in growing both registered apprenticeship programs and innovative new workforce development pipelines,” said Kristen Swearingen, ABC vice president of government affairs. “ABC supports the DOL building on its success by streamlining and simplifying apprenticeship regulations while providing incentives for better RAP performance, which will attract new sponsors and employers to […]

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ABC Report: 36% of Contractor Members Utilize Drones on Jobsites

Associated Builders and Contractors released the findings of its Drone Usage report, a survey ABC conducted of its contractor members in May 2026. Notably, 36.1% of ABC contractor member respondents reported that they fly drones. Other report findings include: Drones are most often used for site progress monitoring (80.8%), marketing and media (77.5%) and inspections and mapping (50%). Investment levels in drones vary widely, but 62% report investing between $1,000 and $10,000. DJI manufacturers the overwhelming majority of ABC contractor members’ primary drones (97.1%). The biggest challenges in adopting drone technology include regulatory and compliance issues (53.5%), training and staffing (43.4%) […]

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ABC: Construction Materials Prices Flat in July, Up 7.4% From a Year Ago

Overall construction and nonresidential input prices both increased 0.1% in July compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Overall construction input prices are 7.4% higher than one year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 7.2% higher. Prices decreased in 2 of the 3 energy subcategories last month. Crude petroleum prices decreased 11.9%, and unprocessed energy materials decreased 7.4%. Natural gas prices were up 10.4% in July. “Construction input prices were virtually unchanged in July, but that relatively tame behavior can be traced to […]

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