The value of the top project starts across the Midwest region fell again in 2021 after a run of record-breaking years ended in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Midwest construction persevered, and the 66 projects on ENR Midwest’s Top Starts ranking represent $14.08 billion in work that began in 2021. Each project has been valued at or above $100 million. That’s down from $14.8 billion represented by 87 projects that started in 2020, all of which were valued at or above $50 million. One of the formerly strongest Midwest sectors, office and mixed-use projects, was virtually absent from the list as developers and real estate professionals continued to try to figure out what the post-COVID-19 workplace looks like.