• According to CBRE, recording the largest total and a 195 % year-over-year increase in the second half of 2024, Atlanta has moved firmly into the top tier of U. S. data center markets, placing the region in the top five nationally alongside Northern Virginia and Dallas.
• According to ARTBA, U. S. highway and bridge contract awards were at a record level in 2024. The largest markets by award value were Texas, California, Florida, New York and Illinois— states where major bridge, interchange and corridor projects translate into multi-year crane demand rather than short cycles.
• According to ConstructConnect, a comparison of nonresidential construction starts from January to September 2025 vs the previous year shows the fastest percentage growth concentrated in a mix of Gulf Coast, Mountain West and Northeast states.
What this means for crane utilization is that demand in 2026 will be strongest where three forces overlap:
1. Data center clusters with overlapping build schedules
Megawatts( MW)
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Atlanta( Under Construction)
Northern Virginia( Absorption)
Major U. S. Data Center Markets- Active Capacity
( MW)
Dallas( Absorption)
Chicago( Absorption)
Atlanta continues to lead primary U. S. data center markets in active construction capacity, driving sustained demand for large crawlers and all-terrain cranes.
2. Transportation awards converting into active construction
3. Nonresidential starts accelerating at the state level
For fleets, that means planning for long-duration crawler commitments, high utilization of 300 to 600-ton ATs and steady demand for RTs and taxi cranes supporting mechanical, electrical and finishing scopes of work. And while markets tied to data centers and infrastructure are less cyclical— and more predictable— than discretionary commercial work, across the board cranes will stay busy in 2026.
www. contractorshotline. com April 17, 2026 7