New construction starts in May dropped 5% below the previous month, according to McGraw Hill Construction Dodge. The monthly decline dragged the dollar value of total construction starts through the first five months of this year 1% below the same period of 2013. However, all the year-to-year decline came from a 13% year-to-year drop in non-building construction. During the same five-month period, the dollar value of non-residential building starts was up 5%, while the residential building market rose 2%. In the non-building market, electric utility work plunged 35% for the year, while construction of other public works markets was down 8%, says Dodge.