Value of South Carolina Contracts Dives in January

As was the case with its neighbor to the north, South Carolina’s contract activity was notably negative in January, with only the residential sector providing positive gains, according to the latest information from McGraw-Hill Construction.

On the positive side, the state’s residential construction category recorded nearly $248.6 million in new contracts during the month, for a 21% overall improvement compared to a year ago.

But that wasn’t nearly enough to overcome sharp declines in the other two sectors.

South Carolina’s nonresidential category recorded just $68.8 million in new contracts, or 76% behind the volume recorded in January of a year ago, according to the company. Also, the nonbuilding category, which includes infrastructure projects, recorded just $55 million in new work, a 60% decline compared to a year ago.

Overall, the state’s January construction contract total of nearly $372.4 million represented a 40% decline compared to last year.

Scott Judy is Deputy Editor for Regions, and editor of ENR Southeast, one of Engineering News-Record's 10 Regional publications. His roughly 27 years as a construction journalist began with an 11-year stint covering Midwest construction projects. In 2000, Judy helped launch the publication now known as ENR Southeast. He often delves into controversial aspects of the construction industry such as bankruptcies and fatal accidents, and wishes he would never have to cover another accident but suspects that he might.