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ENR’s 20-city average cost indexes, wages and materials prices. Historical data and details for ENR’s 20 cities can be found at ENR.com/economics

In Genesis 6:11-9:19, God tips off Noah with the famous forecast of 40 days and nights of rain, but ever since then, we’ve been pretty much on our own when it comes to dealing with earthquakes, hurricanes and floods.

After years of steady increases, wages for many craftworkers have jumped recently, pushed up by the pressures of a hot economy, high inflation and labor shortages.

Recession fears, inflation and other issues plaguing the economy in the first half of 2022 have persisted through the third quarter. While most construction sectors have been successful throughout this year, questions regarding what’s to come in 2023 loom large as we head toward the end of the year.

For much of the third quarter, watching the U.S. economy has felt like some strange version of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle—the more you look at where the economic indicators are, the less sure you are about the direction the economy is heading.

While it may be too soon to say for sure, there are some early indicators that the steep prices for machines in resale channels may be leveling off.

Photographs chosen by our editors from submissions to ENR.com/southwest/photos.