FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
CONTACT: Brian Turmail
(703) 459-0238; turmailb@agc.org
CONSTRUCTION COSTS DIP IN DECEMBER BUT MOST MATERIALS AND SERVICES PRICES ACCELERATE IN 2018; NEW-BUILDING PRICE INDEX ALSO RISES FOR YEAR
Contractors are Raising Construction Prices Amid Tight Labor Market Conditions and Increases in the Cost of Many of the Materials they Use to Build Projects
After a year marked by numerous price spikes, construction costs declined in December but remained elevated compared to year-earlier prices, while prices of new buildings also moved higher, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new Labor Department data. Association officials noted that the cost of many construction projects is increasing as firms cope with labor shortages and increased costs for many of the materials they need for projects.
“Steep declines in fuel prices in December offset mixed costs for other construction inputs, but most materials and services posted higher year-over-year increases than in 2017,” said the association’s chief economist, Ken Simonson. “The price index for new building construction outpaced the input cost index at the end of the year, but many contractors were probably caught by unexpected cost increases in 2018.”
Simonson commented that the producer price index for inputs to construction industries—a weighted average of all goods and services used in construction—decreased 0.8 percent in December but ended the year 3.8 percent higher than in December 2017. The index for energy costs declined 11.5 percent for the month and 3.9 percent for the year. But the price of other goods used in construction climbed 0.1 percent for the month and 4.8 percent for the year, more than the 3.3 percent increase in the index in 2017. The price index for services purchased by contractors also accelerated, rising 0.4 percent for the month and 4.2 percent for the year, following a 3.7 percent gain in 2017.
Click Link to read more: Construction Costs Report by Natl AGC January 15 2019