U.S. retail construction activity declined in the third quarter of 2026
CoStar Group published research showing U.S. retail construction under way fell to 58.3 million square feet in Q3 2026, down from 60.6 million in Q2 and 63.3 million in Q1. New construction starts dropped to roughly 7.7 million square feet, the lowest quarterly total since at least 2016, with elevated land, construction and borrowing costs cited as the culprit.
Key figures
- Q2 starts sqft
- 10700000
- Q3 starts sqft
- 7700000
- Pipeline vs 10yr avg
- -4% below 60.7M sq ft average
- Top15 pipeline share
- 56%
- Texas top3 pipeline sqft
- 15500000
- Monthly unique visitors q2 2026
- over 118 million
- Retail space under construction q1 sqft
- 63300000
- Retail space under construction q2 sqft
- 60600000
- Retail space under construction q3 sqft
- 58300000
AI analysis
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AI-generated analysis of a public disclosure. Not investment advice; verify against the original document.