CONSTRUCTION SPENDING CLIMBS JUST 0.1%

Construction spending climbed by just 0.1% in May, which was below the 0.5% growth rate expected by economists.

However, April's growth rate was revised up to 0.8% from 0.2%.

May's growth was driven by a 1.0% increase in public construction.

From the Census:

PRIVATE CONSTRUCTION
Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $682.8 billion, 0.3 percent (±1.2%)* below the revised April estimate of $684.6 billion. Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $354.8 billion in May, 1.5 percent (±1.3%) below the revised April estimate of $360.1 billion. Nonresidential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $328.0 billion in May, 1.1 percent (±1.2%)* above the revised April estimate of $324.5 billion.

PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION
In May, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $273.3 billion, 1.0 percent (±3.0%)* above the revised April estimate of $270.5 billion. Educational construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $62.0 billion, 0.6 percent (±5.1%)* below the revised April estimate of $62.4 billion. Highway construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $82.7 billion, 0.7 percent (±8.1%)* above the revised April estimate of $82.2 billion.