Architecture Billings Index slips 1.5 points in April, signaling continued soft business conditions

Architecture firm billings declined modestly in April as broader economic instability continued. 

The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) fell from 49.8 in March, when billings were essentially flat, to 48.3 in April, signaling that more firms reported declining billings than rising billings. 

National architecture firm billings have remained below the 50-point growth threshold since January 2023.

Business conditions remained soft across all regions in April, with no area reporting overall growth. Firms in the West were the least likely to see declining billings for the third straight month, while firms in the South reported further softening after early-year signs of improvement. 

By specialization, institutional, and multifamily residential firms posted modest growth in April—an encouraging signal that new projects may be emerging. Meanwhile, billings continued to decline at commercial/industrial firms, which has remained one of the weakest sectors over the past six months. 

Despite these factors, inquiries into new projects increased for the third consecutive month in April, and the value of new design contracts remained close to returning to growth.

“April’s economic picture was mixed as employers continued to add jobs, but inflation accelerated as higher energy prices tied to the conflict in Iran drove up costs,” said AIA Chief Economist, Richard Branch. “While a proposed gas tax holiday could offer some short-term relief, energy prices are unlikely to ease meaningfully until the conflict ends.”

Key ABI highlights for April include:

• Regional averages:
  • West: 49.0
  • Midwest: 48.0
  • South: 47.7
  • Northeast: 47.2
• Sector index breakdown:
  • Multifamily residential: 51.5
  • Institutional: 51.1
  • Commercial/industrial: 48.9
  • Mixed practice (firms that do not have at least half of their billings in any one other category): 42.5
• Project inquiries index: 57.7
• Design contracts index: 48.0

The regional and sector categories are calculated as three-month moving averages and may not always average out to the national score.