August 7, 2026
Construction Planning Regains Momentum in July
Large $350+ million projects get rolling in Texas, Virginia and Illinois
For much of the early summer, planning activity told two different stories depending on where you looked. Now, according to Dodge Construction Network, those threads have converged into a single narrative of acceleration. The Dodge Momentum Index climbed 6.9% in July to 291.7, pairing a rebound in commercial planning with even stronger institutional gains.
Data centers, which had paused briefly in June, picked up momentum again, even as office, warehouse, retail and hotel planning slowed their pace. On the institutional side the growth ran broader, touching education, healthcare, recreational, religious and public building sectors alike, with public building planning alone more than doubling over the past two months.
The result is an index up nearly 12% from a year earlier, though the picture is more complicated beneath the surface, since stripping out data centers would actually leave commercial planning below last July's levels. Here is what the latest Dodge Construction Network report reveals.
The DMI is a monthly measure based on the three month moving value of nonresidential building projects going into planning, shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year to 18 months.
DMI Growth
Commercial Planning
Institutional Planning
Market Analysis
"Data centers and broad based growth across key institutional sectors supported stronger planning activity in July. Sustained planning activity should bolster construction in late 2027, though real growth will prove more constrained as inflationary expectations are priced into project costs."
Sector Performance Highlights
Accelerating Sectors
- Data Centers: Regained momentum after a brief pause in June
- Public Building: Planning more than doubled over the past two months
- Education, Healthcare, Recreational and Religious: All accelerated in July
Slowing Sectors
- Office: Planning pace eased in July
- Warehouse: Planning pace eased in July
- Retail and Hotel: Both slowed after recent gains
Year over Year Performance (July 2025 vs July 2026)
Largest Projects Entering Planning in July
The gains in July highlight how concentrated this cycle of planning activity has become. Data center projects remain the single biggest swing factor in the commercial figures, and once they are set aside, commercial planning is actually running below where it stood a year ago, a reminder that last July's surge set a high bar for comparison. Institutional planning tells a steadier story, with strength spread across education, healthcare and public building work rather than resting on any single sector. That broader base suggests the institutional side of the index may hold its gains more reliably than the commercial side in the months ahead, even as rising project costs work against real growth industry wide.
Data Source: Dodge Construction Network
The DMI is a monthly measure based on the three month moving value of nonresidential building projects going into planning, shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year to 18 months.
