Data center planning cooled off month over month from “extraordinary levels” to start the summer, while other areas of construction finally picked up a little steam, according to Dodge Construction Network.
The Dodge Momentum Index, a measure of nonresidential construction projects entering the planning stages, decreased 1.9% month over month in June, according to a Wednesday news release. The decline, which followed two consecutive monthly gains, stemmed largely from a tap on the brakes around data center planning.
“Despite June’s pullback, nonresidential planning remains on solid ground,” said Sarah Martin, director of economic research at Dodge Construction Network. “Data center activity continued to drive the index, but its pace moderated from the extraordinary levels seen in recent months and drove the DMI to pull back over the month.”
Commercial planning, which includes data center work, ticked down 6.8% month over month in June, according to the report. Apart from data centers however, “nearly every other sector” in the commercial category improved over the course of the month, said Martin. Planning for traditional office buildings, warehouses, retail stores and hotels, for example, posted monthly gains in June.
Planning for institutional projects, which include healthcare and education construction, picked up as well, growing 10.9% month over month in June.
Year-over-year planning figures were still well ahead of 2025 levels, according to Dodge. The Dodge Momentum Index and the commercial and institutional segments all gained 21.8% when compared to June 2025, according to the report.
Dodge noted that without data center plans, the commercial segment would have only posted about a 7.6% jump from year-ago levels in June. A total of 59 projects valued at $100 million or more entered planning throughout June, according to Dodge.
Major commercial projects included:
- The $500 million Stak Energy artificial intelligence data center campus in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
- The $480 million Project Swan data center complex in Lakeland, Florida.
- The $456.8 million Parcel A data center in Manassas, Virginia.
The largest institutional projects to enter planning included:
- The $437 million DCSO Correctional Facility in Nashville, Tennessee.
- The $320 million Cone Health Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
- The $303 million El Camino Health Hospital in Los Gatos, California.
