Grace Ellis
Equip Your 2022 Projects With the Right Construction Data and Stats for Success
Construction industry statistics and data are playing an increasingly important role in the building sector. From measuring bid-to-win ratio, to how much a project is over budget or schedule, and KPIs, the more numbers you can put behind your work, the better. Data not only allows for more visibility into the state of a particular project, but relevant industry statistics and facts can provide valuable information needed to make important future decisions regarding preconstruction and planning, productivity tools, risk assessment, and workforce and operational efficiency.
Undoubtedly, the construction industry is very complex. With risk increasing, how do firms keep up with new change and demand for 2022 and beyond?
Below, we’ll provide you with all the important construction industry statistics you need to understand the current state of affairs. Additionally, we’ll explore how your company and project can avoid becoming another statistic through the power of construction innovation.
After reviewing these construction industry statistics, you should be able to:
- Thoroughly understand the state of the industry and construction workforce
- Leverage data to increase project productivity and reduce costs
- Learn how cutting-edge technology and business transformation holds the key to increasing industry-wide efficiency
Whether you need a refresh on current trends or are looking for solid data to bring to your project manager or owner, we hope to equip you with the ultimate 100+ construction industry statistics that you need for your next project’s success. Looking to grab a fact fast? Here are key categories so you can quickly locate the most relevant construction industry statistics to your project:
General Outlook
Operational Challenges
- Industry Performance
- Construction Costs Are Rising
- Risk Remains a Major Concern
- Rework Has Become an Expensive Standard
Workforce Statistics
- Labor Shortage Is an Industry Wide Concern
- Workforce at a Glance
- Measuring Trust in Construction
- Challenges in Productivity
Rise of Technology
- Usage and Impact of Construction Technology
- Challenges to Construction Digitization
- State of Data in Construction
- Opportunities for Software and Technology
State of the Industry
- 5% increase in engineering and construction spending levels compared to 2021. [FMI] | Click to Tweet
- $7.28 trillion was what the Construction Market was valued in 2021. [Research & Markets] | Click to Tweet
- 12% increase in total construction across 2021 compared to 2020. [Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
Global Construction Demands Are Growing
Click to Tweet- Industry needs to build 13,000 buildings each day between now and 2050 to support an expected population of 7 billion people living in cities. [Redshift] | Click to Tweet
- 1.55 million new housing units planned annually in the U.S. — up from 583,000 in 2009. [Census Bureau] | Click to Tweet
- Predicted 35% global growth in next 10 years. [Oxford Economics] | Click to Tweet
The Rise of New Building Methods
Click to Tweet- 58% of owners said they’ve used or plan to use design-build, moving away from traditional design-bid-build. [FMI] | Click to Tweet
- Design-build projects are completed 102% faster than traditional design-bid-build projects. [DBIA] | Click to Tweet
- 23% of firms report they are taking steps to improve jobsite performance with lean construction techniques, tools like BIM, and offsite prefabrication. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- 4.7% compound annual growth (CAGR) in modular construction by 2026 is predicted. [Research & Markets | Click to Tweet
- About 90% of firms using prefabrication report improved productivity, improved quality, and increased schedule certainty compare to traditional stick-built construction. [Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- 14% of trades report prefabricating more than 50% of their work in the shop versus field. [Autodesk & Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- 13.6% compound annual growth (CAGR) in the construction robot market is predicted between 2021-2026. [Mordor Intelligence] | Click to Tweet
Underperformance is an Industry Wide Issue
Click to Tweet- 72% of firms say projects have taken longer than anticipated. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- 46% of firms report a project was postponed in but was rescheduled, but 32% had projects postponed or canceled and has not been rescheduled. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- 44% of firms are putting longer completion times into their bids. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- Over 50% of engineering and construction professionals report one or more underperforming projects in the previous year. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- 69% of owners say poor contractor performance is the single biggest reason for project underperformance. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- 68% of general contractors reported experience problems “getting off the job” on at least 25% of their projects. [Autodesk & Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- 66% of general contractors are carrying added costs from overtime/second shifts on at least three quarters of their projects due to schedule slippage, with 50% of them needing to extend the project end date. [Autodesk & Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- Just 25% of projects came within 10% of their original deadlines in the past 3 years. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- And only 31% of all projects came within 10% of the budget in the past 3 years. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- Large projects typically take 20% longer to finish than scheduled and are up to 80% over budget. [McKinsey Global Institute] | Click to Tweet
- 98% of megaprojects become delayed or over budget. [McKinsey Global Institute] | Click to Tweet
- 77% of megaprojects around the globe are 40% or more behind schedule. [McKinsey Global Institute] | Click to Tweet
Construction Costs Are Rising
- 6% increase in wage and salaries for construction workers in 2021. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- 84% of firms report construction costs have been higher than anticipated. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- 14.1% increase in construction building material November 2021 YTD, tripling the increase of the prior year. [Eye On Housing] | Click to Tweet
Risk Remains a Major Concern
Click to Tweet- 53% of contractors in the U.S. feel that time constraints/ urgency of decisions presented the greatest risk to decision making. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 37% of construction firms say their companies missed budget and/or scheduled performance targets as a result of COVID-19. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- 25% of all projects grow past scope of work in the field by over 30%. [Whirlwind Steel] | Click to Tweet
- Average of 35% of all construction projects will have a major change. [Project Analysis Group] | Click to Tweet
- Up to 30% of initial data created during design and construction phases is lost by project closeout. [Emerson] | Click to Tweet
- 82% of owners feel they need more collaboration with their contractors. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- 78% of engineering and construction companies believe that project risks are increasing. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- 43% of construction firms prioritize immediate financial goals over organizational resilience. [Constructing Excellence] | Click to Tweet
- 13.4 months is what the global average of dispute length have dropped to, compared to 17 months in 2018. [Arcadis] | Click to Tweet
- U.S. $54.26 million was the global average of construction disputes. [Arcadis] | Click to Tweet
Rework Has Become an Expensive Standard
- 14% of all rework in construction globally is caused by bad data. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- Up to 70% of total rework experienced in construction and engineering products are a result of design-induced rework. [Quality] | Click to Tweet
- 52% of rework is caused by poor project data and miscommunication. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- Meaning, $31.3 billion in rework was caused by poor project data and miscommunication in the U.S. alone in 2018. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- Roughly 4-6% of total project cost is the median cost of rework—but only taking into consideration direct cost or reported rework. [Navigant Construction Forum] | Click to Tweet
- 9% of total project cost is closer to the actual total cost of rework—considering both direct and indirect factors combined. [Navigant Construction Forum] | Click to Tweet
- Between 2% and 20% of total costs is the estimated amount of rework, which has a negative impact on a project schedule. [Becht] | Click to Tweet
Labor Shortage Is an Industry Wide Concern
- 62% of contractors report high levels of difficulty finding skilled workers. [U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
- 74% of contractors say they are asking skilled workers to do more work. [U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
- 72% of contractors report a challenge in meeting project schedule requirements. [U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
- 60% of contractors are putting in higher bids for projects [U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
- The number of workers who are either employed or unemployed and looking for work decreased by just over 2.3 million people since February 2020. [For Construction Pros] | Click to Tweet
- 44% of firms indicated labor shortages caused them to lengthen completion time for projects already underway. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- 73% of firms report it will be more challenging to fill hourly craft positions. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- Percentage of young construction workers declined by 30% from 2005-2016. [BuildZoom] | Click to Tweet
- 40% of construction jobs were lost between 2006-2011 due to the recession. [eSUB] | Click to Tweet
- 337,000 unfilled construction positions in December 2021. [The Bureau of Labor Statistics] | Click to Tweet
- 21.4% industry wide turnover rate, making it one of the highest rates of all industries. [Bureau of Labor Statistics] | Click to Tweet
- 16-20% of an individual’s base salary is the average cost of a turnover. [American Progress] | Click to Tweet
- 29% of firms report investing in technology to supplement worker duties. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- 29% of firms report they are providing incentives and bonuses to attract craft workers. [AGC] | Click to Tweet
- 92% of contractors report being at least moderately concerned about their workers having adequate skill levels. [USG + U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
Workforce at a Glance
Click to Tweet- 12.8% U.S. Construction industry is unionized. [Bureau of Labor Statistics] | Click to Tweet
- 42 years old is the average age of a U.S. construction worker. [NAHB] | Click to Tweet
- Only 11% of the U.S.construction workforce is female. [The Bureau of Labor Statistics] | Click to Tweet
- 32.6% of U.S. construction workforce identifies as Hispanic or Latino. [The Bureau of Labor Statistics] | Click to Tweet
- Only 13% of construction firms are women owned. [National Surety] | Click to Tweet
Measuring Trust in Construction
Click to Tweet- 56% of high trust construction companies report good (low) turnover rates – saving them up to $750,000 annually. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- High trust construction firms are 2X as confident in meeting project deadlines – saving them up to $4 million annually. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- At high trust companies, 4 out of 5 projects are for repeat customers, potentially increasing gross margins by 2-7%. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- High trust construction companies are 2X as likely to be explicit about requests. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 51% of high trust construction firms would retain their staff even without confirmed pipeline of work. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 43% of high trust construction companies make collaboration central to how they work. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- High trust companies are 2X more likely to have managers that share consistent feedback. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
Challenges in Productivity
- 45% of construction professionals report spending more time than expected on non-optimal activities. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- $1.63 trillion could be saved annually from infrastructure productivity changes. [McKinsey Global Institute] | Click to Tweet
- 35% of construction professionals’ time is spent (over 14 hours per week) on non-productive activities including looking for project information, conflict resolution and dealing with mistakes and rework. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 60% of general contractors see problems with coordination and communication between project team members and issues with the quality of contract documents as the key contributors to decreased labor productivity. [Autodesk & Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- 68% of trades point to poor schedule management as the key contributors to decreased labor productivity. [Autodesk & Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- 50% or more impact on productivity as a result of issues with construction logistics. [MCAA] | Click to Tweet
- 10% impact on productivity as a result of late crew build-up. [Whirlwind Steel] | Click to Tweet
- 50% variation in productivity of two groups of workers doing identical jobs on the same site and at the same time. This gap in productivity was found to vary by 500% at different sites. [Sourceable] | Click to Tweet
- 30.9% of construction industry professionals say that the top reason for miscommunication is unresponsiveness to questions/requests. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
Usage and Impact of Construction Technology
- 50% of E&C firms (and 33% of project owners) plan to continue building with significant investment in technologies designed to enhance their delivery of capital programs. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- Only 16% of executives surveyed say their organizations have fully integrated systems and tools. [KPMG] | Click to Tweet
- Only 18% of firms reported consistently using mobile apps to access project data and collaborate. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 53% of large general contractors are utilizing software to manage safety and/or inspections on at least half of their projects. [Autodesk & Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- 63% of contractors are currently using drones on their projects. [USG + U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
- 37% of contractors expect to adopt equipment tagging by 2022. [USG + U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
- 33% of contractors expect to use wearable technology in the next three years. [USG + U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
- 90.9% of firms report using smartphones on a daily basis for work purposes. [JB Knowledge] | Click to Tweet
- 62.4% of companies report using mobile devices on the field for daily reporting. [JB Knowledge] | Click to Tweet
- 21.4% of construction firms use 3 or more mobile apps for their projects. [JB Knowledge] | Click to Tweet
Challenges to Construction Digitization
- 95% of all data captured in construction and engineering industry goes unused. [FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 19% UK construction firms say that their projects are entirely paper-based. [Autodesk] | Click to Tweet
- 36% of construction professionals cited the reason technology failed was because of poor fit with current processes and procedures. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 27.8% of contractors do not bid on projects involving BIM. [JB Knowledge] | Click to Tweet
- 35.2% of construction firms cite “lack of staff to support the technology” as the primary limiting factor to adopting new technology. [JB Knowledge] | Click to Tweet
- 23.6% say “none” of the software applications they use integrate. [JB Knowledge] | Click to Tweet
- 28% of UK construction firms say that lacking the information they need on-site is the single biggest factor impacting their productivity. [Autodesk] | Click to Tweet
- 59% of companies state that their workforce doesn’t have the skills needed to work with BIM. [CIOB] | Click to Tweet
- 56% of construction firms do not have a dedicated R&D budget. [JB Knowledge] | Click to Tweet
State of Data in Construction
- In the last 3 years, the volume of available project data doubled. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 75% of respondents stated an increasing need for rapid decision-making in the field. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- Only 36% of firms have implemented a process for identifying bad data and repairing it. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 14% of all construction rework may have been caused by bad data creating $88.69 billion in avoidable rework globally. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 79% of contractors are using software to capture data and manage information. [Autodesk + Dodge Report] | Click to Tweet
- 60% of contractors rely on one tool. [Autodesk + Dodge Report] | Click to Tweet
- 74% of all the multi-tool contactors stated that they end up relying on one primary toll to track key processes. [Autodesk + Dodge Report] | Click to Tweet
- 58% of contractors are using standardized inputs on at least half of their projects. [Autodesk + Dodge Report] | Click to Tweet
- 41% of contractors agreed that non-standardized data input leads to inconsistent, inaccurate, incomplete, and unusable data. [Autodesk + Dodge Report] | Click to Tweet
Opportunities for Software and Technology
Click to Tweet- 70% of contractors believe that advanced technologies can increase productivity (78%), improve schedule (75%), and enhance safety (79%). [USG + U.S. Chamber of Commerce] | Click to Tweet
- 52% consider the needs of field staff a top consideration for investing in technology. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- But only 28% actually receive feedback from field staff before investing in technology. [Autodesk + FMI] | Click to Tweet
- 60% of general contractors and trades feel using software to manage safety and/or inspections during construction is of high value to improving this process. [Autodesk & Dodge Data & Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- Within 10 years, full-scale digitization could lead to savings between $0.7-1.2 trillion (13- 21%) in the Design & Engineering and Construction phases and $0.3-0.5 trillion (10-17%) in the Operations phase. [World Economic Forum] | Click to Tweet
- AI has the potential to increase the construction industry’s profits by 71% by 2035. [Accenture] | Click to Tweet
- AI is forecasted to reach $4.51 billion by 2026 in the construction industry. [Reports and Data] | Click to Tweet
- 61% report BIM processes reduced project error. [Dodge Data and Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- And 55% report BIM processes reduced the time required for communications. [Dodge Data and Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- Additionally, 82% of BIM users report a positive return-on-investment. [Dodge Data and Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- 47% of construction firms use third-party tools, with around 60% leaning on desktop applications and 40% using cloud-accessible ones. [Dodge Data and Analytics] | Click to Tweet
- 32% of owners and contractors use internally developed tools. [Dodge Data and Analytics] | Click to Tweet
Use Construction Industry Statistics Wisely
With the help of data and technology, the industry is poised for big changes in the coming years—will you be another construction industry statistic or an outlier moving the needle? Accessing the right information and embracing innovation not only benefits your company and project’s ROI, but the whole industry wins as a result.
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Which construction industry statistics are the most meaningful to your business? Share your thoughts in our comments section below.
