The health of construction is once again coming back into view as long-delayed data begins to trickle in following the late-2025 government shutdown.

Construction planning activity jumped in December, mirroring the year’s theme of data center and infrastructure work growth. Contractors reported strong pipelines heading into 2026, and projects appear to be moving through planning phases faster than earlier in 2025. That’s a positive sign for sustained momentum this year.

But builders say the strength is narrowly concentrated. Backlog gains, for example, increasingly favor large contractors with over $100 million in revenue. A closer look at those numbers show shrinking backlogs for smaller contractors across the country.

Still, it will take more negative news to knock the optimism. Project stress among contractors eased sharply in December to end a year marked by tariffs and a government shutdown. Those pressures, however, have reopened some concerns in the industry around rising materials prices in 2026.

The majority of economists expect trade policy to be top of mind again over the next 12 months. If tariffs persist, the recent upward trend in nonresidential input prices could just be the beginning.

Here, Construction Dive rounds up the latest economic data for builders.