Basu points to “booming data center construction” as the main catalyst for the increase, noting that “42% of contractors with more than $100 million in annual revenues are under contract to work on data center projects.” Additionally, he says, contractors with data center projects report an average backlog of 12.2 months, while those without projects in the sector show a markedly shorter backlog of 8.3 months.

By company size, firms with revenue over $100 million report a backlog of 14.2 months in April, up 1.7% since March and 2.2% since April 2025. Companies with revenue of $50-$100 million and those in the $30-$50 million range had backlogs of 9.1 and 8.8 months, respectively, in April, while firms with revenue under $30 million had the smallest backlog at 7.3 months.

“Despite diverging levels of backlog, ABC contractor members of all sizes remain confident about the outlook,” said Basu. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, also recently released for April, increased in all three categories—sales, profit margins and staffing—when compared to both March 2026 and April 2025.

“Just 1 in 5 expect their profit margins to shrink over the next six months, the fewest since January 2025, and contractors are similarly upbeat about their sales and staffing levels,” said Basu. “The upshot is that weak construction spending data, the recent rise in oil prices and emerging materials price escalation have not diminished ABC member confidence.”