Dive Brief:

• U.S. construction spending rose 0.2% in April and hit a yearly pace of $953.5 billion, the highest since March 2009, according to the Commerce Department. 
• Public construction led the spending charge, increasing 0.8%, with federal, state and local government construction spending increasing as well.
• Private construction, however, stagnated with little change in residential and non-residential spending. 

Dive Insight:

Despite the uptick, the rise in spending was actually below economists' expectations of a 0.6% increase. April's construction spending numbers matched those from March until the Commerce Department revised its previously reported 0.2% March increase to 0.6%. The spending numbers are reflective of modest growth in construction since the turn of the year, when the harsh winter severely impacted the industry.