May 31 2014
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Construction in the US - Key Trends and Opportunities to 2018" report to their offering.
The US construction industry recorded a nominal CAGR of 0.61% during the review period. Over the forecast period, its output is expected to record a CAGR of 7.12%. This growth will be driven by the recovering economy and increased government spending on public infrastructure.
The infrastructure and residential construction markets collectively accounted for 64.8% of the total construction industry in 2013, and this is expected to grow over the forecast period due to both increased investment in upgrading aging infrastructure, and strong demand in the housing sector. Moreover, factors such as government efforts to promote exports and innovation, and improve healthcare, as well as a decline in the mortgage delinquency rate will also support the industry's growth.
Key Highlights
- The US construction industry has been in an expansionary phase since early 2011, having suffered greatly over the preceding three years. According to the US Census Bureau and Department of Commerce, construction output value increased from US$857 in 2012 to US$898.4 in 2013. In 2013, the values of private and public construction increased by 8.5% and 2.8% respectively, relative to 2012.
- The housing market is also improving. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the mortgage delinquency rate in 2013 was 6.4% (a decline of 70 basis points over 2012), and is approaching towards the historical average of 5%, while the foreclosure declined by 33% during the same period. These factors will support the growth in the construction industry over the forecast period.
- According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), one out of nine bridges is deficient, 42% of major urban highways are congested and 32% of major roads are in poor condition. In a bid to upgrade the country's road transport, the 2013 budget includes a Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill, worth US$476 billion for a period of six years, which will finance all highway, bridges and mass transit construction projects until 2018. Furthermore, during these six years, the bill also includes the investment of US$305 billion for the reconstruction of roads, bridges and an upgrade of the highway system, indicating an increase of 34% as compared to the previous bill.
- The country's seasonally adjusted manufacturing sales increased in 2013, from US$1,667.4 billion in the second quarter to US$1,701.5 billion in the third, while their seasonally adjusted after-tax profit increased from US$141.1 billion to US$150.6 billion during the same period. According to the Markit, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) reached 55.0 in December 2013 - the highest figure all year - indicating significant improvement in business conditions. Assuming these growth trends continue over the forecast period, the improvement in the manufacturing industry will support the category of manufacturing plants to grow at a moderate rate.
- According to the Global Innovation Index, the country's innovation ranking improved from 10th position in 2012 to 5th in 2013. In order to remain globally competitive, the government proposed to increase federal research and development (R&D) spending in the 2013 budget to US$140.8 billion, an increase of 1.4% over 2012. The 2013 budget also includes the expanded and permanent research and experimentation tax credit (R&E) for companies to promote investment in this innovation. Moreover, the 2014 budget proposed an investment of US$3.2 billion for research infrastructure, out of the total federal R&D spending of US$142.8 billion, which includes the construction and renovation of R&D facilities and the purchase of R&D equipment. The increased government R&D spending will support the growth of this category over the forecast period.