An analysis of U.S. Census construction tables put private data-center construction at a reported $84.95 billion seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in August 2026, more than 73% above August 2025’s $49.05 billion. The reported August level was a record.
The August estimate and its year-over-year change
The reported year-over-year increase moved from 36.3% in May 2026 to 55.2% in June and 65.3% in July, before exceeding 73% in August. That rising sequence puts the August estimate in the context of several months of faster reported growth.
What the construction number measures
SAAR expresses a month’s seasonally adjusted pace as an annual rate. The $84.95 billion figure is therefore an annualized rate based on August’s construction activity.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s August construction-spending release reports its construction estimates at seasonally adjusted annual rates. Its national total for August was $2,203.129 billion SAAR, a preliminary estimate subject to revision. The series is not adjusted for price changes.
The reported data-center construction measure covers building work. It excludes the value of servers and racks, while power plants and transmission lines are classified separately under power construction. Those boundaries matter when comparing construction spending with the broader cost of building and equipping data centers.
Data centers alongside office construction
Private general-office construction was reported at $45.8 billion SAAR in August 2026, down 9.7% year over year. The reported data-center construction pace was substantially higher. The Census Bureau’s August table puts total private office construction at $134.119 billion SAAR.
Reported data-center construction growth
The year-over-year growth rate increased through August. The July figure was calculated in the underlying reporting.
| Reference month | Year-over-year change |
| May 2026 | 36.3% |
| June 2026 | 55.2% |
| July 2026 | 65.3% |
| August 2026 | More than 73% |
The next scheduled construction-spending report
The U.S. Census Bureau scheduled its report on September 2026 construction spending for November 2, 2026, in its October release.
