RLB North America Releases Q2 2026 Construction Cost Report

Robust Data Center Backlog and Steady 1% Quarterly Cost Growth Anchor Second Half Outlook

Phoenix, AZ, June 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) has released its second quarter 2026 Quarterly Construction Cost Report (QCR), highlighting a period of strategic alignment and healthy stabilization across the North American construction market. Current data confirm that construction cost inflation has settled into a sustainable quarterly pace of approximately 1%, allowing developers to advance long-term capital investments with greater clarity.

RLB's tracking shows an industry grounded in steady progress and structural strength. Driven by a major influx of data center developments, infrastructure assignments, healthcare facilities, and educational construction, the national construction backlog indicator rose to 8.8 months this quarter. This robust pipeline provides a substantial runway of work for commercial and industrial contractors moving into the second half of the year.

"As we navigate localized transport and fuel pressures this quarter, our overarching outlook remains decisively optimistic," stated Paul Brussow, President of Rider Levett Bucknall North America. "Contractors across all size categories continue to report high confidence, and by leveraging hyper-local intelligence alongside proactive project controls, owners and developers are successfully advancing their pipelines with strong cost control."

Key Trends from the Second Quarter 2026:

A Market of Healthy Realignment: Construction cost patterns show a healthy distribution rather than a broad market shift. Vibrant urban markets like Honolulu (5.93% annual change), Phoenix (5.30%), and Miami (4.99%) continue to lead cost growth. Meanwhile, key metropolitan zones have established stable, predictable pricing baselines, including Chicago at 1.42%, Dallas at 3.88%, and Washington DC at 4.01%.
Canadian Infrastructure Surges: Non-residential investment in Canada remains highly active. Alberta's energy sector has served as a powerful economic catalyst, maintaining major construction momentum over the last few years. Concurrently, Ontario’s market continues to show resilience, supported by a 16% increase in public-sector spending on major infrastructure initiatives, such as the Darlington Small Modular Reactor project, helping offset modest homebuilding trends.
Navigating Logistics Volatility: Supply-side updates indicate that current project budget pressures stem from rising transportation and fuel costs rather than broader material or labor shortages. The re-routing of global shipping lanes due to conflicts in the Middle East has placed direct upward pressure on energy prices. RLB notes that while these logistical shifts require close observation to avoid localized transit delays, overall contractor sentiment remains positive across all sectors.

Strategic Outlook:
RLB emphasizes that broad national averages can mask localized market behaviors. To achieve success in a market defined by regional variation, owners and developers must utilize precise, hyper-local intelligence. By optimizing procurement strategies early, building flexible cost models to isolate logistical risks, and incorporating robust project controls, developers can successfully protect project margins.

The full report can be accessed here: 2026 Quarterly Construction Cost Report

About Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB)
With over 4,500 professionals across 130 locations worldwide, Rider Levett Bucknall is an independent advisory firm providing comprehensive project management, cost management, project controls, estimating, and quantity surveying services to the built environment. Dedicated to supporting our industry in creating a better tomorrow, RLB combines global expertise with local market knowledge to deliver budget certainty, administrative excellence, and complete project success.

Attachments

Lisa Bankston
Rider Levett Bucknall
lbankston@hingepr.com

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