Construction Spending Falls Again in January

Total construction spending in the United States fell 3.3 percent in January, according to monthly statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau. January’s total is 9.1 percent below January 2008’s spending.

Construction in the private sector fell 3.7 percent, with residential construction coming in at 2.9 percent below December’s level. Nonresidential private construction also declined, with spending falling 4.3 percent from December.

The public sector has performed no better—spending has declined 2.3 percent from December. Educational spending posted a modest gain of 0.6 percent, while highway construction spending fell 1 percent.

More information is available at www.census.gov.