Construction activity may have begun to find its footing beyond data center builds in April, according to the most recent construction economic reports.

Planning activity improved over the month alongside a jump in total construction groundbreakings. Backlog climbed to a 10-month high, while job openings reached their highest level of 2026.

But much of the industry’s momentum still flowed through familiar channels.

Data centers remained the largest driver behind planning growth. Large contractors, on the other hand, continue to capture most of those backlog gains.

Public infrastructure and AI-related projects accounted for much of the spending growth. Other areas of private construction continued to soften, such as manufacturing construction.

Rising material costs also lingered, as most materials notched another round of price increases over the month. Input prices surged month over month in April, driven by energy and tariff-sensitive materials.

Read below for Construction Dive’s roundup of the latest economic data.