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Regional construction starts through September 2026 were uneven: seven of nine U.S. Census divisions recorded year-to-date growth in total nonresidential starts, led by the Middle Atlantic’s 110.0% increase, while the Mountain division fell 30.1%. Large projects—including a new semiconductor plant in New York and a prior-year chip-plant start in Arizona—heavily influenced the comparisons. These figures measure project values at groundbreaking, not completed construction, employment, or a forecast of future spending.
Michael Guckes, chief economist at ConstructConnect, reported the figures in an October 28, 2026 analysis of regional construction starts. The year-to-date comparisons cover January through September 2026 versus the same period in 2025. The results show broad gains across much of the country, but they are not a uniform measure of local market health: a small number of very large projects can substantially change a division’s year-over-year total.
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What do the 2026 regional construction-start figures show?
Most divisions gained in total nonresidential starts, with the strongest reported increase in the Middle Atlantic and the sharpest decline in Mountain. The pattern differs by construction type, so total starts, building starts, and civil starts should not be treated as interchangeable.
| Division or region | Measure | Year-to-date change / value | Project context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | Total nonresidential starts | +110.0% | New York contributed $28.9 billion of the division’s $49.9 billion gain. |
| Middle Atlantic | Nonresidential Building | +159.7% to $81.1 billion | A $25 billion Micron semiconductor plant broke ground in New York in July 2026; ConstructConnect says it equaled 87% of New York’s increase. |
| Mountain | Total nonresidential starts | −30.1% | The year-over-year comparison includes a $25 billion chip plant that started in Arizona in 2025. |
| Mountain | Nonresidential Building | −39.7% | Arizona was down $21.3 billion; the prior-year plant contributed to a difficult comparison. |
| West South Central | Civil Construction | +39.8% to $51.4 billion | Louisiana added $14.2 billion, nearly all of the regional increase, after a $13 billion Commonwealth LNG export terminal broke ground in August 2026. |
| Pacific | Civil Construction | −19.3% | California civil starts fell 26.9%. |
| New England | Total nonresidential starts | +2.6% | An outlier among the five divisions east of the Rockies that gained 20.7% to 67.2%. |
Prices checked November 2026.
All figures in the table are ConstructConnect’s reported year-to-date results through September 2026 compared with the same period of 2025. The regional names refer to U.S. Census divisions, not individual states; outcomes can vary among states within a division.
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Why did the Middle Atlantic lead?
The Middle Atlantic’s increase was closely tied to New York and a handful of high-value projects. Its Nonresidential Building starts rose 159.7% to $81.1 billion. New York accounted for $28.9 billion of the division’s $49.9 billion gain, and ConstructConnect attributes 87% of New York’s increase to the $25 billion Micron semiconductor plant that broke ground in July 2026.
This is an example of how a single groundbreaking can move a regional percentage sharply. It does not mean that every state or building market in the division grew at the same rate, nor that all of the announced project value will appear as completed work in the same period.
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Mountain had the steepest decline in total nonresidential starts, down 30.1%, while Nonresidential Building starts fell 39.7%. Arizona was down $21.3 billion in building starts. ConstructConnect points to the comparison with a $25 billion chip plant that started in Arizona in 2025: a large prior-year project raises the comparison base and can make the following year look especially weak.
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That base effect explains part of the year-over-year result; it is not, by itself, evidence that the region’s underlying project pipeline is structurally shrinking. The reported figures do not provide a separate forecast or enough detail to establish a longer-term trend.
What does the Southeast and central-region picture look like?
The clearest named civil-construction growth example is West South Central, where starts increased 39.8% to $51.4 billion. Louisiana added $14.2 billion—nearly all of the region’s increase—after the $13 billion Commonwealth LNG export terminal broke ground in August 2026. This is a project-driven regional result, not proof that civil construction rose equally across all states in the division.
More broadly, five divisions east of the Rockies posted total-start gains ranging from 20.7% to 67.2%. New England was the notable exception to those stronger gains, at 2.6%. The available data’s strongest named building example is in the Middle Atlantic, while its most prominent civil example is in West South Central; those findings should not be blurred into a claim that every part of the East or Southeast shared the same trend.
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How do building starts differ from civil starts?
ConstructConnect defines total Nonresidential Construction Starts as the combined value of Nonresidential Building and Civil Construction projects breaking ground. Nonresidential Building includes commercial, industrial, and institutional structures such as stores, factories, and hospitals. Civil Construction, also called heavy engineering, covers infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and utility systems.
Building starts rose year to date in every division except Mountain, with major manufacturing projects influencing the comparison. Civil starts were weaker on the coasts and stronger in central divisions: Pacific civil starts declined 19.3%, including a 26.9% fall in California, while West South Central rose 39.8%. Because these are distinct categories, a division’s total nonresidential result cannot be used as a substitute for its building or infrastructure trend.
What can—and can’t—these figures tell you?
A construction start records project value at groundbreaking. The reported increases therefore indicate that more project value entered the starts measure during the period; they do not establish how much construction was completed, how many workers were employed, or how much future construction spending will occur.
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The figures are ConstructConnect’s reported data and analysis, not independently corroborated Census Bureau statistics. Its article provides regional aggregates, selected project explanations, and category definitions, but does not state the underlying project database’s coverage, estimation or weighting method, or revision policy. Use the numbers as a directional snapshot of reported starts, with particular care when a megaproject dominates a change.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a construction start, and when is a project counted?
In this report, a start is a project recorded at groundbreaking, with project value included in the starts measure. It is not the same as a project’s completion date or the amount of work performed during the period.
Are these construction-start figures Census Bureau statistics?
No. The figures are reported by ConstructConnect in its October 28, 2026 analysis. The source does not describe its project database’s coverage, estimation, weighting, or revision policy, so the results should not be presented as official Census Bureau statistics.
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Do the September 2026 gains mean construction spending will rise by the same amount?
No. Starts capture project values at groundbreaking; they do not forecast future spending or guarantee that the full value will be completed on a particular schedule. A major project can also cause a large start-period increase without implying equal growth across the broader local market.
Which construction types are included in nonresidential starts?
The total combines Nonresidential Building and Civil Construction. Building covers commercial, industrial, and institutional structures, while civil construction covers infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and utility systems.
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