U.S. construction spending fell in September. The housing detail changes the story.
Economy / Construction spending U.S. construction spending fell. The housing detail matters. September’s national decline hides a near-flat month for new homes and a different direction for public work. NEWJINMEDIA · November 5, 2026 Analysis of U.S. Census Bureau public data Soo Lock construction at sunrise, Michigan, August 6, 2026. Archive project photograph. Kelsie Hall / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public-domain source . September construction spending fell 1.9%, but new-home spending was nearly flat. A closer look separates remodeling, offices and public projects. The November 2 release from the U.S. Census Bureau describes a smaller national construction market than a year earlier, but it does not describe every part of that market moving in the same direction. September spending ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.1861 trillion, down from a revised $2.2274 trillion in August. Private residential work fell sharply. Private nonresidential work rose. Public construc...