Category
Data
BLS says construction employment fell by 3,000 to 8,367,000 in October 2026 as residential specialty trade contractors cut 15,200 jobs.
8,367 October 2026 · -0.0% on the month · +1.5% on the year
Construction employment held near its 25-month high in October
All employees, construction, thousands, seasonally adjusted
Feature Data
BLS fatal injury rates by trade turn a contractor's hours by occupation into a blended rate that shows which crews carry its fatality exposure.
Data
The NWS wind chill formula and the ACGIH work/warm-up schedule turn a cold-day forecast into break minutes and crew hours a contractor can budget.
Data
BLS says construction job openings rose to 298,000 in September 2026 from a revised 262,000 in August, and quits rose to 198,000.
Data
Census puts September 2026 construction spending at $2,186.1 billion SAAR, down 1.9% from a revised August, as private residential fell 5.5%.
Data
BLS OEWS wages let an estimator scale a home-market crew rate to another metro. In this example a $26 Houston carpenter rate becomes $42 to $45 in Chicago.
Feature Data
BLS put September construction unemployment at 3.5%, and ABC's state estimates range from 1.7% in Maryland to 9.5% in North Dakota.
| Date | Trend | Category | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data | Construction employment slipped by 3,000 in October as residential specialty trade contractors cut 15,200 jobs | BLS says construction employment fell by 3,000 to 8,367,000 in October 2026 as residential specialty trade contractors cut 15,200 jobs. | ||
| Data | How to weigh crew hours by BLS fatal injury rates, from roofers at 48.7 to electricians at 5.3 Feature | BLS fatal injury rates by trade turn a contractor's hours by occupation into a blended rate that shows which crews carry its fatality exposure. | ||
| Data | How to plan winter crew hours from wind chill and the ACGIH warm-up schedule, with a steel erection example | The NWS wind chill formula and the ACGIH work/warm-up schedule turn a cold-day forecast into break minutes and crew hours a contractor can budget. | ||
| Data | Construction job openings rose 14% to 298,000 in September as quits reached 198,000, the most in 25 months | BLS says construction job openings rose to 298,000 in September 2026 from a revised 262,000 in August, and quits rose to 198,000. | ||
| Data | Construction spending fell 1.9% in September as residential improvement spending dropped | Census puts September 2026 construction spending at $2,186.1 billion SAAR, down 1.9% from a revised August, as private residential fell 5.5%. | ||
| Data | How to adjust a crew wage rate to another metro with BLS OEWS data, from $26 in Houston to $42 in Chicago | BLS OEWS wages let an estimator scale a home-market crew rate to another metro. In this example a $26 Houston carpenter rate becomes $42 to $45 in Chicago. | ||
| Data | Construction unemployment was 3.5% in September, and ABC's state estimates run from 1.7% in Maryland to 9.5% in North Dakota Feature | BLS put September construction unemployment at 3.5%, and ABC's state estimates range from 1.7% in Maryland to 9.5% in North Dakota. | ||
| Data | How to compute average annual receipts for the SBA size standard, with a $45 million general contractor example | SBA averages five years of receipts, subcontractor costs included, to decide if a contractor is small. This example tracks a GC near the $45 million line. | ||
| Data | Construction employment rose in 180 of 360 metro areas in the year to September 2026, with Baton Rouge up 27% | AGC's ranking of BLS metro data shows construction jobs up in 180 of 360 areas and down in 118 from September 2025 to September 2026. | ||
| Data | How to compute unabsorbed home office overhead with the Eichleay formula, with a 60-day suspension example | The Eichleay formula prices home office overhead lost during a federal suspension. This example turns a 60-day suspension into a $2,000 daily rate. | ||
| Data | How to set monthly weather delay days from NOAA climate normals, with a Chicago O'Hare example | NOAA climate normals count rain days by month at more than 15,000 stations. This example turns Chicago O'Hare's counts into a work-day weather allowance. | ||
| Data | How to tie a fuel price adjustment to EIA diesel prices, with a 160,000-cubic-yard earthwork example Feature | A fuel price adjustment pays for estimated gallons at the change in a diesel index. This example prices 160,000 cubic yards of earthwork. | ||
| Data | How to price delay cost from the liquidated damages daily rate and your own field overhead | FAR and FHWA rules set liquidated damages from the owner's daily costs. This example adds a contractor's field overhead and tests Saturday shifts. | ||
| Data | How to price crew vehicle mileage with the IRS rate, which rose to 76 cents a mile in July | The IRS business mileage rate is 76 cents for July through December 2026. This example prices a diesel crew truck's miles against $6.29 fuel. | ||
| Data | How to price per diem for a traveling crew with the FY 2027 GSA rates, $181 a day in most of the US | GSA's FY 2027 standard per diem is $113 for lodging and $68 for meals. This example prices a four-person crew on a three-week out-of-town job. | ||
| Data | How to compute Prompt Payment Act interest on a late federal pay application, with a $6,740 example | Federal agencies owe interest on late construction payments. This example computes it for two pay apps and a retainage release at the 4.75% rate. | ||
| Data | Architecture billings index fell to 44.7 in September, the lowest reading since May | The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index fell to 44.7 in September from 47.2 in August, as design contracts dropped and inquiries rose. | ||
| Data | Housing starts fell 5.2% in September to 1,221,000, the second-lowest rate in 25 months Feature | Census says September housing starts fell 5.2% to a 1,221,000 annual rate, with starts in five-plus-unit buildings down 25.9% from a year earlier. | ||
| Data | How to compute overtime premium on a 50-hour week, with a $40 wage that averages $44 | Overtime premium is the extra half-rate on hours past 40. This example turns a $40 wage into $44 per hour worked on a 50-hour week. | ||
| Data | How to annualize Davis-Bacon fringe benefit credit, with a $1,200 health premium worth $7.50 an hour | Davis-Bacon fringe credit divides benefit cost by all hours worked. In this example a $1,200 monthly health premium earns $7.50 an hour of credit. | ||
| Data | How to compute an hourly rate for owned equipment with the Corps of Engineers method, with a $400,000 excavator example | A worked example of the Corps of Engineers equipment rate method prices a $400,000 excavator at $93.99 an hour and $21.59 on standby. | ||
| Data | How to compute labor burden per hour worked, with a $50 wage that costs $70.86 | Labor burden adds payroll taxes, insurance and benefits to wages. This example turns a $50 wage into $70.86 per hour worked and checks it against BLS. | ||
| Data | Prices of goods bought by construction rose 2.2% in September, led by a 24% jump in diesel Feature | BLS producer prices for goods bought by construction rose 2.2% in September and 11.2% in a year. Nonresidential building prices rose 5.4% in a year. | ||
| Data | How to tie a steel escalation clause to a BLS producer price index, with a $1.2 million example | An escalation clause moves a fixed price with a named BLS index. This example adjusts $1.2 million of steel with a 3% trigger and a 10% cap. | ||
| Data | ABC's Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.7 months in September, its second monthly gain | ABC's Construction Backlog Indicator rose 0.2 months to 8.7 months in September, with commercial and institutional backlog at 9.0 months. | ||
| Data | How to track total float across monthly schedule updates, with a 30-day example | Logging total float on the two most critical paths at each schedule update shows how fast a job uses its cushion. This example tracks eight updates. | ||
| Data | How to adjust days sales outstanding for retainage and billing cycles, with a 51.6-day example | A contractor's DSO mixes retainage, bills not yet due and bills past due. This example splits a 51.6-day DSO into those pieces by owner. | ||
| Data | How to track retainage aging by job and by owner, with a $1.35 million example Feature | Retainage aging starts when the release comes due. This example sorts $1.35 million of retainage on six jobs by job, by owner and by days past due. | ||
| Data | How to compute your experience mod from the NCCI worksheet, with a $100,000 loss example | NCCI's experience mod weights claim count above claim size. This example shows ten $10,000 claims pushing a mod above 1.00 where one $100,000 claim does not. | ||
| Data | How to compute TRIR and DART from your OSHA 300 log, with a drywall contractor example | TRIR and DART divide recordable cases by hours worked. This example computes both for a drywall contractor and compares them to BLS 2024 rates. | ||
| Data | Commercial furniture prices rose 3.9% in the year to August as steel rose 23% Feature | BLS says producer prices for commercial furniture hit a record in August 2026, up 3.9% in a year, as steel mill products rose 23.4%. | ||
| Data | Dodge Momentum Index rose 2.4% in September to 288.0 as institutional planning grew 9.4% | The Dodge Momentum Index rose 2.4% in September to 288.0, with institutional planning up 9.4% and commercial planning down 1.3%. | ||
| Data | How to track job hazard analyses as a leading safety indicator | Each signed JHA records a task, a crew and a risk score. Counted weekly, JHA coverage and crew participation show safety gaps before an injury. | ||
| Data | How to measure labor productivity from daily logs and timecards, with a drywall example | Units installed per labor hour come from the daily log and the timecards. This example tracks a drywall crew for 10 days against its estimate. | ||
| Data | How to compute SPI and CPI from pay application data, with a $12 million example Feature | SPI and CPI compare earned value from the pay application to the baseline plan and to job cost. This example works both for a 12-month job at month six. | ||
| Data | How to measure change orders as a percent of original contract by cause, with a $100 million example | Change order rate divides approved change orders by the original contract. This example splits it by job and by cause across six jobs. | ||
| Data | How to track bid-hit ratio by client type, job size and estimator, with a 120-bid example | Bid-hit ratio counts bids per job won. This example splits it by client type, job size and estimator, in counts and in dollars. | ||
| Data | Construction added 11,000 jobs in September, led by nonresidential specialty trade contractors | BLS says construction employment rose by 11,000 to 8,364,000 in September 2026, led by nonresidential specialty trade contractors. | ||
| Data | Construction spending rose 0.9% in August after Census revised July up $27 billion | Census says US construction spending ran at $2,203.1 billion SAAR in August 2026, up 0.9% from a July figure revised up by 1.2%. | ||
| Data | Construction jobs rose in 177 of 360 metro areas from August 2025 to August 2026, led by Houston and Baton Rouge | AGC's ranking of BLS metro data shows construction jobs up in 177 of 360 areas and down in 126 from August 2025 to August 2026. | ||
| Data | Construction job openings fell 16% to 251,000 in August after BLS cut July to 299,000 | BLS says construction job openings fell to 251,000 in August 2026 from a revised 299,000 in July, as hires and layoffs also fell. | ||
| Data | How to compute backlog in months and compare it with ABC's 8.5-month August reading | Backlog in months divides signed, unearned work by annual revenue. Here is the formula ABC uses, a worked example, and how to read yours against its survey. | ||
| Data | How to measure gross margin fade across a portfolio of jobs | Fade compares each job's bid margin with its current estimate. Here is how to measure it by job, by estimator and across the portfolio. | ||
| Data | Autodesk says Forma will replace Revit over time, without a forced switch | The Revit link to Forma is a Revit 2027 tech preview that Autodesk says to keep off live projects, and a project that joins it cannot leave. | ||
| Data | How to build a work-in-progress schedule from job cost data, column by column | A WIP schedule needs four inputs per job. Here is how each column is calculated and what it tells a CFO, with a four-job worked example. | ||
| Data | Architecture billings index rose to 47.2 in August as Northeast firms fell to their lowest reading since 2020 | The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index rose to 47.2 in August from 46.6 in July, still below 50, as the Northeast fell to 40.7. | ||
| Data | Census revises August building permits up to 1,403,000, still below July | Census revised August building permits to a 1,403,000 annual rate, up from the preliminary estimate but 2.1% below July. |