Construction Spending Down 0.6%

Total construction spending in January fell 0.6% from December and was down 9.3% from January 2009. A 1.3% increase in residential spending was overtaken by a 2.1% decline in non-residential construction spending, pushing total private spending down 0.6%. The fall in non-residential construction was in part the result of a 4.8% decline in manufacturing and industrial structures.

Public construction fell 0.7% from its December level, a sign of continued fiscal tightening by state and local governments. Spending on highways and street construction increased 1.2%, while spending on sewage and waste disposal structures fell 3.0% and education structures remained unchanged.

m/m % change	Jan	Dec	Nov	Oct	Sep	Aug
Total	-0.6	-1.2	-2.5	1.5	-1.6	-0.9
Total Private	-0.6	-1.7	-2.6	2.7	-2.4	-0.5
Residential	1.3	-2.8	-2.5	11.8	-0.6	3.1
Non-Residential	-2.1	-0.7	-2.7	-3.6	-3.7	-2.9
Total Public	-0.7	-0.4	-2.2	-0.9	-0.1	-1.7

10.03.01 (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)