ConstructConnect Chief Economist Michael Guckes hosts a monthly video series in which he breaks down the key issues impacting the North American construction economy in under 3 minutes.
December 2025 did not coast into the year-end. U.S. nonresidential construction starts climbed to $61.8 billion, up $4.7 billion from November and 24 percent higher than last December.
Data centers, sports and convention venues, and schools did most of the heavy lifting, sending an important signal about where work is holding up heading into 2026.
In this month’s Construction Economy Brief from ConstructConnect’s Chief Economist, Michael Guckes, you will learn:
- Where December 2025 nonresidential construction starts landed and how they compare to November and last year.
- Which project types, including data centers, sports and convention facilities, and school construction, are driving the gains.
- What this strength could mean for your 2026 backlog, bid strategy, and market mix.
- Practical ways contractors, subs, suppliers, and design firms can use these trends to prioritize the right opportunities.
Watch the February 2026 Construction Economy Brief
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Read the Construction Economy Snapshot for more details on construction labor, trends, and regional analysis.
About ConstructConnect
At ConstructConnect, our software solutions provide the information construction professionals need to start every project on a solid foundation. For more than 100 years, our keen insights and market intelligence have empowered commercial firms, building product manufacturers, trade contractors, and architects to make data-driven decisions, streamline preconstruction workflows, and maximize their productivity. Our newest offerings—including our comprehensive, AI-assisted software—help our clients find, bid on, and win more projects.
ConstructConnect operates as a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 1000.
For more information, visit constructconnect.com
