Report Update: Measuring Construction Activity with AI
March 1, 2020 to May 8, 2020
OxBlue’s artificial intelligence (AI) tools are now being used to measure the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on construction activity across the United States. The full analysis looked at all 50 states and more than 100 metropolitan areas between March 1st, 2020, and May 8th, 2020.
Increasing Construction Activity Levels
Since our last report, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, and Washington are all showing signs of a substantial increase in construction activity. The majority of that increase has occurred during the first week of May 2020. Massachusetts has not seen the level of increase as the other states and the results for Colorado continue to fluctuate.
As in previous reports, it’s important to point out California’s activity levels due to its status as the largest economy in the United States. Though the state experienced an increase in late April, activity levels are staying steady at ~13%.
On a national level, construction activity briefly went into the positive percentages at the beginning of May. This is likely due to the rise in activity in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, and Washington.
As the crisis continues, OxBlue will share regular updates on how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting the construction industry and on the technology being developed to combat the spread of the virus.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us or call (888) 849-2583.
Notes: The time period in this analysis includes the 50 workdays (weekdays) from March 2, 2020, to May 7, 2020. OxBlue has shifted from a 3-day moving average to a 5-day moving average, similar to what other reports (such as Johns Hopkins’) have been using. The current baseline for the OxBlue Activity Index is the average activity level for the days from March 1st to March 19th, the date Pennsylvania issued its strict shelter-in-place order. The data analyzed is from commercial construction projects and excludes single-family residential construction. States with low levels of construction activity and without statistically significant data have been excluded for accuracy. National construction activity is based on a weighted average of the construction volume for each state.