Data Centers Prop Up Planning, While Most Sectors Fall Back
BOSTON, MA–April7,2026—The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Ҵýapp increased1.8%inMarchto250.5(2000=100) from thedownwardlyrevisedFebruaryreading of246.2.Over the month,commercial planninggrew7.0%andinstitutional planningmomentumdeclined8.8%.
“Planning momentum in March was powered almost entirely by data center projects, with most other sectors easing back,” said Sarah Martin, Associate Director of Forecasting at Ҵýapp. “For some categories, this reflects a natural reset after the outsized growthin late2025. But for others, elevated macroeconomicrisksarelikelybeginningto feed intoplanningdecisions.”
On the commercial side,planning momentum slowed across all commercial sectors apart fromdata centers.Institutional planning saw widespread weakness, with only education and public buildings moderately gaining traction.Despite recent declines, theDMIremainselevated.Year-over-year, theDMIwas up25.8% when compared toMarch2025. The commercial segment was up28.5%(-12.7%when data centers are removed)and the institutional segment was up19.6% over the same period.
A total of54projects valued at $100 million or moreenteredplanning throughoutFebruary.The largest of those projects included 17 individual buildings, each valued at $500 million, for the Amazon Data Center Campus in Hamlet, North Carolina. Similarly, ten individual buildings, each valued at $250 million, entered planning in relation to the Microsoft DataCenterDSM50in Dallas, Iowa. The largest institutional projects were the $245 millionMCLJOutpatient Pavilion inSan Diego, California, the $183 million Orlando Health Viera Hospital (Phase1B) in Viera West, Florida, and the $175 million Bachelor Enlisted Quarters renovation project at Camp Pendleton North in San Diego, California.
TheDMIis a monthly measurebased on the three-month movingvalue ofnonresidential building projectsgoing intoplanning, shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full yearto18 months.


