Posted by Joseph Y. Calhoun, III

Construction spending rose in September:

The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that construction spending during September 2009 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $940.3 billion, 0.8 percent (±1.8%)* above the revised August estimate of $933.0 billion. The September figure is 13.0 percent (±1.9%) below the September 2008 estimate of $1,081.2 billion.

During the first 9 months of this year, construction spending amounted to $715.2 billion, 12.1 percent (±1.3%) below the $813.3 billion for the same period in 2008.

PRIVATE CONSTRUCTION

Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $613.9 billion, 0.5 percent (±1.1%)* above the revised August estimate of $610.9 billion. Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $256.0 billion in September, 3.9 percent (±1.3%) above the revised August estimate of $246.4 billion. Nonresidential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $357.9 billion in September, 1.8 percent (±1.1%) below the revised August estimate of $364.5 billion.

PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION

In September, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $326.4 billion, 1.3 percent (±2.9%)* above the revised August estimate of $322.1 billion. Educational construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $88.7 billion, 0.1 percent (±3.4%)* below the revised August estimate of $88.8 billion. Highway construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $85.5 billion, 1.0 percent (±7.8%)* above the revised August estimate of $84.6 billion.

This is pretty typical of what happens coming out of recession. Residential construction picks up first and non residential comes later as the expansion matures (if it matures). Here’s an interesting tidbit; public construction was only up 1.3% with highway construction up only 1%. Where’s all that stimulus spending?What happened to all those shovel ready projects?