Market news · November 10, 2026

Market note, November 10, 2026: contractor backlog down to 8.1 months, prices up 0.4% in October

Two reports came out this morning. Contractors told ABC they have less signed work ahead of them than a month ago, and the October price index showed inflation still running at the same pace.

7.6 months

Backlog of contractors without data center work in October 2026, down from 8.3 months in September (ABC survey, November 10, 2026)

1. Backlog: 8.1 months, down 0.6 in a month

Associated Builders and Contractors reported on November 10 that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.1 months in October, from a member survey taken October 20 to November 3. That is 0.6 months less than in September and 0.3 months less than a year earlier. ABC's chief economist Anirban Basu said backlog is back to levels not seen consistently since last winter.

The 88% of contractors with no data center work saw backlog fall from 8.3 to 7.6 months. Firms with data center work, most of them above $100 million a year in revenue, went from 11.3 to 11.5 months. The sales and staffing outlooks fell; the profit margin outlook rose, though roughly 1 in 4 contractors still expect margins to shrink in the next six months. All three readings stay above 50, which means more contractors expect growth than decline.

ABC surveys mostly commercial and industrial contractors and gives no residential number. Read it as a signal for the wider trade, not as a count of remodeling jobs.

2. Prices: +0.4% in October, electricity +0.9%

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said on November 10 that consumer prices rose 0.4% in October, seasonally adjusted. Without food and energy they rose 0.3%, the same pace for a third month. Energy rose 0.7%: electricity 0.9%, gasoline 1.0%, fuel oil 2.0%. There is no 12-month figure this time, because BLS collected no data in October 2025 during the government shutdown.

NAHB wrote the same day that inflation staying high raises the chance of another Fed rate hike. For a contractor it means this: higher rates make the mortgage, refinance or home equity money behind many remodels more expensive.

What to do this week

Count your own backlog. Add up the work that is signed but not started and divide it by what your crew finishes in a normal month. If it is under two months, put the follow-up calls on unsigned estimates at the top of this week, not at the end.

For estimates on jobs that start next spring, write down how long your price holds. With fuel and power still climbing, a price you give in November may not hold in March.

Where WorkTime CRM helps with this

On the Pipeline board the Approved and Waiting Start columns are the signed work ahead of you, and each card shows the estimate value. In the Sent and Thinking columns a "days in stage" badge turns amber after a week and red after two, so you see whom to call first. Price validity prints the date until which your price holds on every estimate and shows the client a countdown.

Questions

Does the ABC backlog say anything about home remodeling?+

Not directly. ABC surveys its members, mostly commercial and industrial contractors, and publishes no residential figure. Your own signed work compared with last year says more about your market.

Why is there no yearly inflation number for October?+

BLS did not collect price data in October 2025 because of the government shutdown, so it cannot compare October 2026 with a year earlier for most indexes. The monthly change, 0.4%, is published as usual.

How many months of backlog is healthy for a small contractor?+

There is no single number; it depends on your trade, season and crew size. Watch the direction: if your signed work ahead keeps getting shorter month after month, start filling it before it runs out.

Sources

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