Nonresidential Construction Spending Rose 0.6% in September, Driven by Data Centers

Washington, DC, November 3, 2026—National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.6% in September, 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 $1.325 trillion.

Spending was up on a monthly basis in eight of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was up 1.1%, while public nonresidential construction spending was down 0.1% in September.

“Nonresidential construction spending grew for the sixth consecutive month in September,” said ABC chief economist Anirban Basu. “As has been the case for several months, data centers accounted for virtually all of that increase. Excluding data centers and the closely related power category, nonresidential spending actually fell in September. It’s increasingly difficult to contextualize the speed of the data center boom; spending in the category jumped another 8.6% in September and has grown at a 217% annualized rate since May.