National – Recently, OxBlue has been publishing the OxBlue Activity Index, a measure of domestic construction activity based on real-time field data. It’s created by measuring job site activity and comparing it to previous milestones. Each report goes in-depth on the states with the largest changes in construction activity: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Washington, New York and Colorado.
As a contrast, this report covers the activity in the top ten states ranked by construction volume, according to research firm GlobalData:
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Washington
- Illinois
- Pennsylvania
- Georgia
- Ohio
- North Carolina
This report measures the 11 weeks of activity between March 1 and May 15, 2020.
Out of the top 10 states for construction activity, five restricted construction. While the state of California deemed construction essential on a state-wide scale, cities such as San Francisco implemented local restrictions. These local measures ended on May 13.
In Washington, construction was deemed non-essential on March 25. The order was amended on April 24, allowing job sites to open as long as social distancing is possible.
Pennsylvania imposed a strict construction ban, which was lifted on May 1.
New York is the only state still imposing construction restrictions, though construction will be one of the first industries to restart, according to reopening guidelines announced on April 26. Ohio is currently only permitting housing construction.
Though each top state for construction activity has experienced some level of decline over the past two months, areas with construction restrictions are by far experiencing the most change.
The full report is available on the OxBlue website.
