D-FW Nonresidential Building Surged in April
Construction in the Dallas-Fort Worth area surged in April. A huge year-over-year increase in nonresidential building starts added to the annual building totals, according to a new report from Dodge Data and Analytics. Nonresidential building starts in the region totaled more than $1.2 billion in April — more than twice the activity of April 2018. But residential starts fell from a year ago and totaled about $1.1 billion. Through the first four months of the year, nonresidential building starts in North Texas are up 13% from the same period last year. And residential starts are down 11%, according to Dodge Data.
The jump in commercial building activity in the area erased losses in the sector in the early months of 2019. Nationwide, construction starts were down 15% in April, according to Dodge Data. And nonresidential building starts across the country were down 18%. "Overall construction activity continues to show deceleration around an up-and-down monthly pattern, with varied performance by major construction sector," Robert A. Murray, chief economist for Dodge Data & Analytics, said in a statement. "Nonresidential building is staying close to its pace of last year, helped by continued strength for office buildings, hotels, educational facilities and transportation terminals." Murray said multifamily residential projects are retreating, despite occasional monthly upturns, and single-family housing isn't showing that "it can rebound from the slower pace that took hold toward the end of last year."
North Texas had one of the largest gains in construction employment in the country in April. More than 9,000 new construction jobs were added in the area, according to a report by the Associated General Contractors of America. Only the Phoenix area had a bigger gain in building sector jobs in April...
