Economic Trends
U.S. Cutting Tool Orders Tick Down in August, Shipments Hold Steady
October 21, 2026
Economic Trends
March Construction Spending Flips to 0.5% Monthly Decline
Following a healthy increase in February, total U.S. construction spend is down in March across the board in both private and public projects.
Total U.S. construction spend decreased in March following a healthy increase in February, according to figures shared on May 1 by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Spending in March was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.196 trillion, 0.5% below the revised February estimate of $2.206 trillion and up 2.8 above March 2024.
U.S. Construction Spending: Month-to-Month % Change through March 2025
Private Construction
March spending on private construction was at a seasonally-adjusted rate of $1.688 trillion, 0.6% below the revised February estimate. Residential construction was at a rate of $937.7 billion, 0.4% below the revised February estimate, while nonresidential construction’s rate of $750.3 billion was 0.8% below the revised February estimate.
Public Construction
March spending on public construction was at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of $508.1 billion, 0.2% below the revised February estimate. Educational construction was at a rate of $110.0 billion, 0.6% below the revised February estimate, while highway construction’s rate of $145.8 billion was 0.5% below the revised February estimate.
