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BOSTON,MA—March20, 2026—Total construction startsdeclined13.2% inFebruaryto a seasonally adjustedannual rate of$1.08trillion,according to.Nonresidential buildingstartsreboundedby17.8%,residential startsimproved8.3%,andnonbuilding startsdeclined49.4%over the month.On a year-to-datebasis, total construction starts weredown1.9%through February. Nonresidential starts were down2.0%, residential starts were down12.4%andnonbuilding startsimprovedby9.9% over the same period.For the 12 months endingFebruary2026, total construction starts were up5.2% from the 12 months endingFebruary2025. Residential starts were down 6.3%, nonresidential starts were up6.1%andnonbuilding was up17.0%.
“After a weak start to the year, nonresidential and residentialbuilding starts steadily reboundedthroughout February,”statedSarah Martin, Associate Director of Forecast at Ҵýapp. “Conversely, nonbuilding activity slowed down last month – normalizing from elevated levelsin January.”
Residential
Residential building startsgrewby8.3% inFebruaryto a seasonally adjusted annual rate of$374billion. Single family startsincreased4.0%m/m,andmultifamily startsexpandedby15.9%m/m.On a year-to-datebasis, residential starts are down12.4%,with single family startsdown17.5% and multifamily starts down2.8%.
For the 12 months endingFebruary2026, total residential starts fell 6.3%. Single family starts fell16.2% compared to the 12 months endingFebruary2025, and multifamily starts increased14.9% over the same period.
The largest multifamily structures to break ground inFebruarywere the $757 million Bay View Houses Renovation project in Canarsie, New York, the $311 million Universal BuildingNorthand $265 million Universal Building South within the Geneva Residential Conversion project in Washington, D.C.
Nonresidential
Nonresidential buildingstartsimproved17.8%inFebruarytoa seasonally adjusted annual rate of$442billion. Commercial starts wereup 48.5%, solely driven by the 159.6% m/m growth in offices and data centers. Meanwhile, stores (-4.7% m/m), parking garages (-23.1% m/m), hotels (-7.9% m/m) and warehouses (-12.1% m/m) all lost pace throughout February. Institutional starts also expanded 8.7% over the month,alongside steady growth in education (+19.6% m/m) and the remaining institutional categories (+56.4%). Healthcare construction continued to pullback, dropping 46.6% m/m. After a strong January, manufacturing construction also slowed down, pulling back 54.1% m/m. On a year-to-date basis through February, nonresidential starts are down 2.0%. Commercial and industrial construction is up 22.9%, while institutional starts are down 22.7% over the same period.
For the 12 months endingFebruary2026, total nonresidential starts were up6.1% compared to the 12 months endingFebruary2025. Commercial starts were up20.2%, institutional startsdecreased5.6%, and manufacturing starts wereup12.9% over the same period.
The largest nonresidential building projects to break ground inFebruarywerethe $3 billion Google Data Center Campus (Project Meitner) in Miami,Texas, the$3 billionPolaris Forge 2 AI Data Center in Harwood, North Dakota, and the$1.53 billionTampa International Airport Airside D project in Tampa, Florida.
Nonbuilding
NDzԲܾ徱Բconstructionstartsdecelerated49.4% inFebruaryto a seasonally adjusted annual rate of$265billion.Afternearly 200%growth in January, electric power/utilities construction normalized in February and dropped 90.1% m/m.Miscellaneous nonbuilding declined as well, falling back 12.3% over the month. Conversely, highways and bridges (+18.8% m/m)andenvironmental public works (+4.8% m/m)saw improvements.On a year-to-date basis through February, nonbuilding construction was up 9.9% alongside the 133.8% year-to-date growth in electric power/utilities. The remaining public works sectors, however, are seeing deeper year-to-date declines.
For the 12 months endingFebruary2026, total nonbuilding starts were up17.0%.Environmental public worksfellby6.4% compared to the 12 months endingFebruary2025.Highway and bridge starts weredown0.2%, miscellaneous nonbuilding starts were up32.9%andutility/gas starts increased59.3% over the same period.
The largest nonbuilding projects to break ground inFebruaryincluded the$564 millionSR 400 (I-4) highway development in Celebration, Florida, the $389 million 1-94 reconstruction project in Romulus, Michigan and the $386 million Allegheny County Wet Weather Pump Station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Regionally,total construction starts inFebruaryroseintheMidwest(+41.0%m/m)and the West (+4.2% m/m). Meanwhile, starts receded in the Northeast (-38.1% m/m), the South Atlantic (-4.9% m/m) andthe South Central (-37.7% m/m).


