Manufacturing slump drags down nonresidential construction spending | Construction Dive

An article from Dive Brief Manufacturing slump drags down nonresidential construction spending Expenditures on factory-related projects will likely continue to drop over the next several quarters due to ongoing trade policy uncertainty. Published March 3, 2026 Sebastian Obando Reporter Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Add us on Google Aerial view of the construction of a Samsung semiconductor fabrication plant near Austin, Texas, on Dec. 31, 2025. BackyardProduction via Getty Images Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: Nonresidential construction spending dipped 0.6% month to month in December due to a slowdown in factory builds, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Private and public nonresidential construction ticked down 0.7% and 0.4% month to month, respectively, in December, according to the report. Twelve of the 16 nonresidential subcategories posted declines in December, with the monthly drop mostly driven by manufacturing construction. “This decline was concentrated in the manufacturing segment, which is now down nearly 16% from the August 2024 all-time high,” said Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist. “Given trade policy uncertainty and the waning effects of the CHIPS Act, manufacturing-related spending will likely continue to decline over the next several quarters.” Dive Insight: The weak spending report follows...