{"id":34739,"date":"2026-03-20T16:25:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T23:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/construction-starts-slow-by-13-in-february\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T16:25:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T23:25:21","slug":"construction-starts-slow-by-13-in-february","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/construction-starts-slow-by-13-in-february\/","title":{"rendered":"Construction Starts Slow by 13% in February"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/files\/membership-default-internal\/\" class=\"memberhide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/01\/20220718_175041000_iOS.jpg\" alt=\"-\"><\/a><br\/><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dodge Construction Starts \u2013 February 2026\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aJz5ZZatrqI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">Cooling\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">n<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">onbuilding\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">a<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">ctivity\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">l<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">eads\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">to a\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">b<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">roader\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">s<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW254544954 BCX0\">lowdown<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">BOSTON,\u00a0MA\u00a0\u2014\u00a0March\u00a020, 2026\u00a0\u2014<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Total construction starts\u00a0declined\u00a013.2% in\u00a0February\u00a0to a seasonally adjusted\u00a0annual rate of\u00a0$1.08\u00a0trillion,\u00a0according to\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/construction.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dodge Construction\u00a0Network<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0Nonresidential building\u00a0starts\u00a0rebounded\u00a0by\u00a017.8%,\u00a0residential starts\u00a0improved\u00a08.3%,\u00a0and\u00a0nonbuilding starts\u00a0declined\u00a049.4%\u00a0over the month.\u00a0On a year-to-date\u00a0basis, total construction starts were\u00a0down\u00a01.9%\u00a0through February. Nonresidential starts were down\u00a02.0%, residential starts were down\u00a012.4%\u00a0and\u00a0nonbuilding starts\u00a0improved\u00a0by\u00a09.9% over the same period.\u00a0For the 12 months ending\u00a0February\u00a02026, total construction starts were up\u00a05.2% from the 12 months ending\u00a0February\u00a02025. Residential starts were down 6.3%, nonresidential starts were up\u00a06.1%\u00a0and\u00a0nonbuilding was up\u00a017.0%.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cAfter a weak start to the year, nonresidential and residential\u00a0building starts steadily rebounded\u00a0throughout February,\u201d\u00a0stated\u00a0Sarah Martin, Associate Director of Forecast at Dodge Construction Network. \u201cConversely, nonbuilding activity slowed down last month \u2013 normalizing from elevated levels\u00a0in January.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Residential<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Residential building starts\u00a0grew\u00a0by\u00a08.3% in\u00a0February\u00a0to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of\u00a0$374\u00a0billion. Single family starts\u00a0increased\u00a04.0%\u00a0m\/m,\u00a0and\u00a0multifamily starts\u00a0expanded\u00a0by\u00a015.9%\u00a0m\/m.\u00a0On a year-to-date\u00a0basis, residential starts are down\u00a012.4%,\u00a0with single family starts\u00a0down\u00a017.5% and multifamily starts down\u00a02.8%.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For the 12 months ending\u00a0February\u00a02026, total residential starts fell 6.3%. Single family starts fell\u00a016.2% compared to the 12 months ending\u00a0February\u00a02025, and multifamily starts increased\u00a014.9% over the same period.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The largest multifamily structures to break ground in\u00a0February\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">were the $757 million Bay View Houses Renovation project in Canarsie, New York, the $311 million Universal Building\u00a0North\u00a0and $265 million Universal Building South within the Geneva Residential Conversion project in Washington, D.C.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nonresidential<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nonresidential building\u00a0starts\u00a0improved\u00a017.8%\u00a0in\u00a0February\u00a0to\u00a0a seasonally adjusted annual rate of\u00a0$442\u00a0billion. Commercial starts were\u00a0up 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,\u00a0alongside 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.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For the 12 months ending\u00a0February\u00a02026, total nonresidential starts were up\u00a06.1% compared to the 12 months ending\u00a0February\u00a02025. Commercial starts were up\u00a020.2%, institutional starts\u00a0decreased\u00a05.6%, and manufacturing starts were\u00a0up\u00a012.9% over the same period.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The largest nonresidential building projects to break ground in\u00a0February\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">were\u00a0the $3 billion Google Data Center Campus (Project Meitner) in Miami,\u00a0Texas, the\u00a0$3 billion\u00a0Polaris Forge 2 AI Data Center in Harwood, North Dakota, and the\u00a0$1.53 billion\u00a0Tampa International Airport Airside D project in Tampa, Florida.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nonbuilding<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nonbuilding\u00a0construction\u00a0starts\u00a0decelerated\u00a049.4% in\u00a0February\u00a0to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of\u00a0$265\u00a0billion.\u00a0After\u00a0nearly 200%\u00a0growth in January, electric power\/utilities construction normalized in February and dropped 90.1% m\/m.\u00a0Miscellaneous nonbuilding declined as well, falling back 12.3% over the month. Conversely, highways and bridges (+18.8% m\/m)\u00a0and\u00a0environmental public works (+4.8% m\/m)\u00a0saw improvements.\u00a0On 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.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For the 12 months ending\u00a0February\u00a02026, total nonbuilding starts were up\u00a017.0%.\u00a0Environmental public works\u00a0fell\u00a0by\u00a06.4% compared to the 12 months ending\u00a0February\u00a02025.\u00a0Highway and bridge starts were\u00a0down\u00a00.2%, miscellaneous nonbuilding starts were up\u00a032.9%\u00a0and\u00a0utility\/gas starts increased\u00a059.3% over the same period.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The largest nonbuilding projects to break ground in\u00a0February<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0included the\u00a0$564 million\u00a0SR 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.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Regionally,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0total construction starts in\u00a0February\u00a0rose\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0Midwest\u00a0(+41.0%\u00a0m\/m)\u00a0and the West (+4.2% m\/m). Meanwhile, starts receded in the Northeast (-38.1% m\/m), the South Atlantic (-4.9% m\/m) and\u00a0the South Central (-37.7% m\/m).\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\"> <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-27105\" src=\"https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/index-graph-feb-300x156.png\" alt=\"Index Graph Feb\" width=\"967\" height=\"503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/index-graph-feb-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/index-graph-feb-1024x533.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/index-graph-feb.png 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-27106\" src=\"https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/monthly-chart-feb-300x156.png\" alt=\"Monthly Chart Feb\" width=\"898\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/monthly-chart-feb-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/monthly-chart-feb-1024x533.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/monthly-chart-feb.png 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px\"\/> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-27107\" src=\"https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/recent-chart-feb-300x156.png\" alt=\"Recent Chart Feb\" width=\"919\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/recent-chart-feb-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/recent-chart-feb-1024x533.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/recent-chart-feb.png 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 919px) 100vw, 919px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<p>###<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Dodge Construction Network<\/strong><br \/><span data-teams=\"true\"><span class=\"ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak\" dir=\"ltr\">Dodge Construction Network harnesses data, analytics, and industry connections to be the leading source of insights and opportunities in the commercial construction industry. With five trusted solutions-<strong>Dodge Construction Central, The Blue Book, Sweets, IMS,<\/strong> <strong>and <\/strong><strong>Principia<\/strong>-Dodge connects construction professionals across all stages of the building process. Designed for both small teams and large enterprises, these tools simplify complexity, empowering you to build thriving businesses and communities. With over a century of experience, Dodge Construction Network is the catalyst for modern construction. To learn more, visit .<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact<\/strong>:<br \/>| <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.construction.com\/company-news\/construction-starts-slow-by-13-in-february\/mailto:**@**********on.com\" data-original-string=\"mZl0\/b2lrjFqrwCS8oorew==1db576Es67i0ioSJzsfXgzbqo1URIzdYuahRJ15L02Nb78=\" title=\"This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser.\" target=\"_blank\"><span \n                data-original-string='jBODJTJ6QTpeZYDNhJeYeg==1dbR6VJR57OM0OIodIKcKEi+noEeoeugL\/ugq70cASHYzM='\n                class='apbct-email-encoder'\n                title='This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser.'><span class=\"apbct-blur\">**<\/span>@<span class=\"apbct-blur\">**********<\/span>on.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5143531171910809\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- News - Bottom -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5143531171910809\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8320848692\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.construction.com\/company-news\/construction-starts-slow-by-13-in-february\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Cooling\u00a0nonbuilding\u00a0activity\u00a0leads\u00a0to a\u00a0broader\u00a0slowdown BOSTON,\u00a0MA\u00a0\u2014\u00a0March\u00a020, 2026\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Total construction starts\u00a0declined\u00a013.2% in\u00a0February\u00a0to a seasonally adjusted\u00a0annual rate of\u00a0$1.08\u00a0trillion,\u00a0according to\u00a0Dodge Construction\u00a0Network.\u00a0Nonresidential building\u00a0starts\u00a0rebounded\u00a0by\u00a017.8%,\u00a0residential starts\u00a0improved\u00a08.3%,\u00a0and\u00a0nonbuilding starts\u00a0declined\u00a049.4%\u00a0over the month.\u00a0On &#8230; <a title=\"Construction Starts Slow by 13% in February\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/construction-starts-slow-by-13-in-february\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Construction Starts Slow by 13% in February\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7253,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1066,1141,1127],"tags":[1125,345,1126,1128],"class_list":["post-34739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-posts","category-business","category-dodge-data-and-analytics","tag-analytics","tag-business","tag-industry-news","tag-reports","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34739\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}