"Economics" US January construction spending unexpectedly decreased by 0.3%

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. construction spending decreased by 0.3% month-on-month in January this year, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.19 trillion, lower than the market expectation of a 0.1% increase, following a revised growth of 0.8% in December 2025.

Private construction spending fell by 0.6% to $1.66 trillion, with residential construction down 0.8% and non-residential construction down 0.4%. In contrast, public construction spending increased by 0.6% to $529.2 billion, primarily driven by a 3.3% increase in highway construction, while public education construction decreased by 0.2%