Construction backlog rose to 8.7 months in April, according to the Construction Backlog Indicator survey conducted by Associated Builders and Contractors. The figure is up 0.2 months since March, and is the highest figure recorded by the survey in 20 months.

“Contractors remain busy,” Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist, said in a statement. “Backlog rose in April and is now at the highest level since September 2023.”

However, he added, “Nearly 22% of contractors had a project delayed or canceled in April due to tariffs, up from 18% in March, while 87% have been notified of tariff-related materials prices increases.”

Since April 2024, backlog has risen 0.3%. The increase is largely spurred by projects over $100 million, up 2.2% for the year, while backlog for projects under $30 million rose 0.2%. The number projects in the works in the $30-$50 million and $50-$100 million ranges fell 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively.

Overall, contractors remain relatively positive about the outlook for construction in the near future, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index for April, but uncertainty remains when looking at the long-term picture. “While ABC members remain upbeat about the near-term outlook, the share of respondents that expect their sales to decline over the next six months rose to 19% in April, up 6 percentage points since the start of the year.”