Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. reports that the average backlog of work for construction in the U.S. stood at 8.08 months at the end of the third quarter, the best figure since the organization began compiling the data in the first half of 2009.

It stood at 8.06 months after the second quarter.

Nationally, infrastructure work had the most backlogged work, at 9.23 months. Commercial and institutional had amassed 8.42 months. Work in the heavy industrial sector continued its recent trend of pulling down the average, with companies reporting 5.89 months of work.

Geographically, the South was doing best, with 9.41 months of work in the pipeline. The Northeast and West had 7.52 and 7.40 months, respectively. The Middle States had 6.50 months.

The bigger the company, the better the backlog. Companies with $100 million or more in revenue had 9.79 months of work. The backlogs dropped to 7.12 months for companies with $30 million or less in annual revenue.