According to ConstructConnect, U.S. nonresidential (NR) construction starts year to date in 2020 have been -26.9% compared with January-August of last year. Table 1 ranks the Top 20 states by their NR construction dollar volumes.
One feature that pops out is how dominant Texas is in the NR starts arena. The state’s dollar volume of starts has been cut in half (-51.1%) so far this year, but it still ranks number one overall. (Texas in full year 2019 was home to eight ‘mega’ projects starts with a combined value of $29 billion; 2020 has seen only project valued at more than $1 billion in the state.)
The dominance of Texas isn’t just because two of the other three large population states also recorded big NR starts declines. Florida was -38.3% and New York, -24.1%. Even if those two states had stayed flat, Texas would still be beating them.
