Total Construction Starts Up 12.8% in March

Boston, MA, April 20, 2026-Total construction starts rose 12.8% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.22 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network.

Nonresidential building starts grew by 6.3%, residential starts improved 2.6%, and nonbuilding starts rebounded 37.9% over the month. On a year-to-date basis, total construction starts were down 0.5% through March. Nonresidential starts were down 0.2%, residential starts were down 7.2% and nonbuilding starts improved by 6.4% over the same period. For the 12 months ending March 2026, total construction starts were up 5.4% from the 12 months ending March 2025. Residential starts were down 5.3%, nonresidential starts were up 6.5% and nonbuilding was up 15.8%.  

“A few strong categories overcame slight weakness in all the others in March,” stated Eric Gaus, chief economist of Dodge Construction Network. “The commercial segment shows the most strength with 12-month growth for all sub-categories except warehousing.”