KEY POINTS
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The combined value of Nonresidential Building and Civil Construction projects breaking ground fell to $63.4 billion in September, down $48.8 billion from August, ConstructConnect reported.
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Nonresidential Building starts totaled $38.6 billion, down 50.3% from August and remain concentrated in data center related megaprojects.
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Yet, Military, Hospitals and Clinics, and Warehouses each saw spending rise at least 30% year over year. September’s Top 10 project starts highlight the largest investments by dollar volume.
ConstructConnect reported last week that Total US Nonresidential Construction Starts — the combined value of Nonresidential Building and Civil Construction projects breaking ground — fell to $63.4 billion in September, down $48.8 billion.
Chief Economist Michael Guckes said that Nonresidential Building gains remain concentrated. The economist reported that Nonresidential Building (NRB) — buildings such as retail stores, data centers, factories and hospitals — totaled $38.6 billion, down 50.3% from August. But year to date (YTD), NRB starts stand at $500.2 billion, up 34.7%, or $128.9 billion.
Guckes added that, "Offices, including Data Centers, have supplied 72% of that gain and are up 173.0% in the year through September. This gain came despite a weak September for data center megaprojects — those projects costing $1 billion or more — which totaled just $6.3 billion across four projects, far less than August’s $13.5 billion reading."
Yet there is more to the US Nonresidential Construction picture than the data center grabbing headlines make it out to be.
"It is important to realize that the industry’s growth is not limited to just data centers and related construction," Guckes noted. Construction of Military, Hospitals and Clinics, and Warehouses are also expanding strongly, with spending in each of these categories up 30% or more nationwide from a year ago.
The September 2026 Top 10 Project Starts highlight the developments driving the most significant investments by dollar volume.
ConstructConnect Top 10 Project Starts through September 2026
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ConstructConnect Top 10 Project Starts chart from the October 2026 Construction Economy Snapshot. A square footage measure does not apply to alteration, some forms of industrial (e.g., petrochemical), and most engineering/civil work. Image: ConstructConnect
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