ABC: Contractors’ Backlog Hit 20-Month High in April

Associated Builders and Contractors’ Construction Backlog Indicator rose to a 20-month high of 8.7 months in April, up 0.3 months since April 2024.

ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales, profit margins and staffing levels increased in January. The readings for all three were above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations for growth over the next six months.

“Nearly 22% of contractors had a project delayed or canceled in April due to tariffs, up from 18% in March, while 87% have been notified of tariff-related materials prices increases,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said in a statement. “Contractors remain busy despite these headwinds; backlog rose in April and is now at the highest level since September 2023. While ABC members remain upbeat about the near-term outlook, the share of respondents that expect their sales to decline over the next six months rose to 19% in April, up six percentage points since the start of the year.”

Read the full report here.