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

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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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Every State Had Construction Unemployment Rate Below 10% in June

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The national June not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate was 4.7%, a 1.3% increase from June 2025, according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by Associated Builders and Contractors. The analysis found that every state had a construction unemployment rate below 10% and all but three states (Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island) had a rate below 7%. National NSA payroll construction employment was 59,000 higher than in June 2025, its 14th straight month of year-over-year increases below 100,000. Seasonally adjusted payroll construction employment was 8.3 million, or 9.5% above its pre-pandemic peak of 7.6 […]

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ABC: Construction Materials Costs Fall With Oil Prices in June

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Construction input prices decreased 1.1% in June compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices also decreased 1.1% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 7.6% higher than one year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 7.4% higher. Prices decreased in 2 of the 3 energy subcategories last month. Crude petroleum prices declined 12.1%, and unprocessed energy materials fell 8.1%. Natural gas prices were up 16.6% in June. “Aggregate construction input prices receded in June due to the steep decline […]

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ABC: Construction Job Openings Rise to 10-Month High in May, Hiring Remains Historically Slow

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The construction industry had 298,000 job openings on the last day of May, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 32,000 last month and are up by 76,000 from the same time last year. “Construction job openings rose to a 10-month high in May,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Unfortunately, that increase likely reflects exceptional demand for certain occupations critical to data center […]

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ABC: Construction Materials Prices Surge 2.6% in May

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Construction input prices increased 2.6% in May 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 materials prices are 9.6% higher than one year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 9.7% higher. Prices increased in 2 of the 3 energy subcategories last month. Crude petroleum prices increased 11.8% and unprocessed energy materials increased 6.9%. Natural gas prices were down 18.2% in May. “Construction input prices surged again in May and are now up nearly 10% year over year,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. […]

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