Construction economics

Construction Cost Monitor

Understand construction cost trends. Track changes in major building materials and construction wages, spot potential budget pressures, and guide conversations with your contractor.

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How to use this monitor

Start with the past-year and past-month changes. Positive numbers mean the measured price or wage increased; negative numbers mean it decreased. Select a card to explore its history. Use these signals to guide a conversation with your contractor—not to calculate a project quote.

How the numbers are calculated

Materials PPIs measure national producer-price movements. Index levels are not dollar quotes and different series cannot be compared by their raw levels. The broad construction-materials PPI is not a total installed development-cost index. Hourly earnings are a separate labor proxy, not an all-in labor cost index.

Past month compares the latest observation with the preceding calendar month; past year compares the same month one year earlier. Missing comparison months show “Not available.” Charts can show percentage change since the first displayed month or start at 100; the observation table always retains original units. BLS data may be preliminary or revised. Seasonally adjusted wages and unadjusted material PPIs are labeled separately.

Treasury context is temporarily unavailable. · Federal Reserve Board via FRED. This benchmark is not a construction-loan quote.

Omaha metro · Editorial interpretation

Bring the trend into the development model.

Use these national signals to decide which local assumptions need to be refreshed. Obtain current, scope-matched Omaha bids before underwriting a project.

Multifamily

Track framing, concrete, electrical and interior packages separately. A change in a national input index does not translate one-for-one into an Omaha apartment budget. Refresh subcontractor quotes, allowances, contingency and the lease-up assumptions together.

Industrial

Concrete, structural steel, site utilities and electrical capacity can drive different portions of the budget depending on the building. Compare scope-matched local bids and lead times before changing the development model.

Retail

Separate shell construction from tenant improvements. Power, mechanical systems, finishes and tenant-specific delivery conditions can matter more than a broad materials average. Check landlord work letters and tenant allowances against current scope.

Mixed-use

Phase costs by structure, building systems and use. Shared infrastructure, podium work, code requirements and delivery sequencing make a single material index an incomplete guide to total cost.

Financing and feasibility

The existing Treasury indicator supplies national financing context, not a construction-loan quote. Update lender terms, interest carry, schedule, insurance, site work and revenue assumptions alongside the hard-cost budget. No Omaha bid database is connected in this initial release.

Commentary updated 10/18/2026. This framework is editorial analysis, not a measured local cost forecast.

Sources and scope

Primary statistical source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index and Current Employment Statistics, retrieved via FRED. BLS statistical publications are public-domain material; attribution is provided beside each series.

Supplemental reading: Procore Construction Material Price Tracker ↗. Procore retail prices are not ingested or republished here. API availability and republication permission for that product have not been established.

This product uses the FRED® API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. FRED API Terms of Use. By using this application, users agree to the applicable FRED API Terms of Use.