Construction spending on communication structures for June 2019 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $23.17 billion, a 5.2 percent decrease from the same period a year earlier, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report, which was released on Aug. 6.

The bureau reported a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $24.45 billion in June 2018.

The total includes construction of new structures as well as improvements to existing structures in both the private and public sectors. 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.