Construction activity is slowing nationwide as the uncertainty over tariffs and trade makes builders and property owners reticent to move on projects. 

Construction spending fell for the third month in a row in April, declining 0.4% from March and 0.5% from a year earlier, the first year-over-year decrease since April 2019, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) of recent government data. 

“A pullback in many types of private nonresidential projects, as well as a sharp drop in homebuilding, contributed to the latest drop in construction spending,” said, Ken Simonson, AGC's chief economist, in a statement. “Ever-changing announcements about tariffs on key construction inputs, along with potential retaliatory measures by U.S. trading partners, are making owners hesitant to commit to new projects.” 

The biggest declines were in residential construction with single-family homebuilding falling to 1.1% and spending on home improvements dropping 0.8% 

Public construction increases softened the overall decline. Public spending climbed 0.4% from March and 5.5% from April 2024. Of the three largest public construction categories, highway and street construction rose 0.5% in April, spending on educational structures edged down 0.1%, and spending on transportation facilities rose 0.7%