ConstructConnect's September 2026 data center report put year-to-date data center starts at $84.1 billion through July, nearly three times the spending level of a year earlier. The figure represents nearly one-quarter of total U.S. nonresidential building construction starts for 2026, down from close to 30% a year ago.

The cumulative spending chart plots each year from 2022 through 2026 by month. The 2026 line begins above $20 billion in January and climbs through July, running well above the 2025 line at every point shown. July 2026 spending totaled $2.7 billion across 23 projects, which lifted the year-to-date project count to 136. The largest project that month was the $1.5 billion CyrusOne data center campus in Texas.

The report also tracks project size and price. Among year-to-date projects with known prices and square footage, the average project cost $1.06 billion and covered 701,000 square feet, compared with $352.8 million and 454,400 square feet in 2025. That lifted the average cost per square foot to $818.20, 57% above the comparable 2025 figure. Individual project costs ranged from less than $300 to more than $2,200 per square foot. ConstructConnect said costs are rising faster than project size.

On geography, the report said new builds are moving away from the coasts toward the Midwest and South. North Carolina was the only southern state above $10 billion in new data center starts through July, at $10.4 billion, with Texas just below at $9.9 billion. Arkansas and Georgia each reported multiple billions of dollars in new starts.

ConstructConnect prepared the report with its chief economist and an associate economist.

Source: ConstructConnect News - https://news.constructconnect.com/september-2026-data-center-report-year-to-date-spending-nearly-three-times-a-year-ago