Dive Brief:
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The pace of nonresidential building slid in January for the second month in a row, but total construction starts were up from a year ago, according to Dodge Data & Analytics.
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A boost in the nonbuilding construction sector pushed the value of new construction starts for the month up by 9%, the report said.
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That sector was buoyed by the start of three liquefied gas facilities in Texas worth a combined $8.5 billion.
Dive Insight:
The Dodge analysis reported a 9% drop in January for residential building starts. That estimate is higher than the 2% decline the Census Bureau reported last week.
The Dodge report also looked at total construction starts depending on geography. It found that in January 2015, the South Central region was the only major region that experienced an increase, of 83%, compared with January 2014. The other four major regions all saw a drop in construction starts compared with the previous year. The South Atlantic was down 1%, the West down 3%, the Northeast down 7%, and the Midwest down 11%.
