Construction spending by the public sector on sewage and waste disposal structures for May 2019 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $26.5 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau report which was released in August.

The total includes construction of new structures as well as improvements to existing structures in the public sector. It does not include maintenance and repairs to existing structures.

Calculations include labor and material costs, architectural and engineering expenses, overhead, interest, taxes and contractors’ profits.

To gather the data, the Census Bureau mails surveys monthly to a sampling of construction project owners asking for statistics on privately owned nonresidential construction, state and local construction, privately owned multi-family, and federal construction projects.