The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) rose in March to a nearly positive score of 49.8 The minor uptick from February’s reporting of 49.4 pushes the ABI that much closer to positivity (a score of 50 or more indicates that the majority of firms reported increased billings) and is the highest ABI score since the first quarter of 2023.
Inquiries into new projects rose further last month as backlogs ascended to an average of 6.6 months—the highest level since December 2023. Backlogs increased most at firms with a multifamily residential specialization (from 5.4 months in December to 6.2 months in March), while rates held steady at 8.2 months at firms with institutional specialization. Values for newly signed design contracts decreased again for the 25th consecutive month in March, with declines accelerating since February.
Firms in the West also saw their first modest increases in billings last month for the first time since December 2024, while business conditions remained softer in other regions, particularly in the Northeast. Firms of all specializations except mixed reported small billings increases in March, while firms with multifamily residential specialization experienced the largest turnaround from weaker conditions in early 2025
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