Overview
This article examines the rapid expansion of the U.S. construction industry, where Top 400 Contractor revenues reached $671.4 billion behind surging demand for data centers, advanced manufacturing, power generation, and Sunbelt civil projects.
Rather than merely ranking firms by total size, this article highlights ten builders exhibiting exceptional momentum through a proprietary Growth Momentum Score evaluated on revenue surges, backlogs, and market positioning. Leading the group is Construction Partners in civil infrastructure, alongside high-momentum players like Mortenson, HITT Contracting, and Gray, which are capitalizing on mission-critical tech and energy demands. Diversified contractors such as STO Building Group and PCL Construction, power leader Burns & McDonnell, and regional powerhouses Suffolk, Brasfield & Gorrie, and Ryan Companies round out the list.
Ultimately, this article demonstrates that modern construction growth belongs to firms strategically positioned at the intersection of computing power, electrical grid expansion, and regional civil needs.
Introduction
The U.S. construction industry is growing quickly, but the companies gaining the most ground aren't necessarily the names that have always dominated the top of the rankings.
Revenue among Engineering News-Record's Top 400 Contractors reached $671.4 billion in 2025, an increase of 11.8% from the previous year. Much of that growth is coming from a new mix of construction demand. Data centers are expanding to support AI and cloud computing. Manufacturers are investing in new U.S. facilities. Power infrastructure is being built to support increasingly energy-intensive projects. At the same time, infrastructure spending continues to create opportunities for contractors working on roads, transportation, utilities, and other public projects.
That is creating some significant movers in the construction industry.
Instead of simply ranking America's largest contractors, this list looks at companies showing strong momentum through revenue growth, rising industry rankings, expanding backlogs, acquisitions, new markets, and growth in sectors such as data centers, manufacturing, infrastructure, and energy.
Because privately held construction companies do not all report financial results in the same way, this isn't a strict ranking from fastest to slowest. Instead, these are 10 U.S. construction companies demonstrating particularly strong growth.
How We Calculated Our Growth Momentum Score
We've given each company a Growth Momentum Score out of 100. This is our own editorial score, not an official financial or industry rating.
The score considers reported revenue growth, movement in major construction rankings, backlog and new contracts, expansion into new markets, and exposure to fast-growing sectors such as data centers, AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, energy, and civil infrastructure.
The higher the score, the stronger we believe the company's current growth momentum is based on these factors.
1. Construction Partners
Growth Momentum Score: 97/100
Construction Partners earns the highest score on our list because of its combination of exceptional revenue growth, record backlog, acquisitions, and continued expansion across the Sunbelt.
The Alabama-based civil infrastructure company specializes in roadway construction and maintenance, a very different growth story from the data center contractors dominating many industry lists.
Its numbers stand out.
Construction Partners generated approximately $2.81 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue, up 54.2% from $1.82 billion in fiscal 2024. Acquisitions contributed heavily to that increase, but existing operations also grew.
The momentum continued into 2026. Revenue for the first nine months of fiscal 2026 increased 34.8% to approximately $2.6 billion. In the company's third quarter alone, revenue reached $999.4 million, an increase of 28.2% from the same period a year earlier.
Its backlog also reached a record $3.36 billion as of June 30, 2026.
2. Mortenson
Growth Momentum Score: 95/100
Mortenson scores highly because of its dramatic rise in the national contractor rankings, substantial revenue growth, and position across both data center and energy construction.
The Minneapolis-based company jumped from No. 22 in 2025 to No. 10 in 2026’s ENR Top 400 Contractors. Its 2025 construction revenue reached approximately $10.8 billion, compared with roughly $6.7 billion the previous year.
That's an increase of more than 60%.
The reason behind that growth is particularly interesting because Mortenson operates on both sides of one of construction's biggest sectors: computing power and electrical power.
Mortenson's regional operations are expanding as well. ENR named it the 2026 Northwest Contractor of the Year after its West regional revenue surpassed $1.4 billion, an increase of 9%.
3. HITT Contracting
Growth Momentum Score: 94/100
HITT earns a 94 because its national expansion is being reinforced by exceptional growth in mission-critical construction, particularly data centers.
The company reports $13.1 billion in 2025 revenue and now operates 16 offices nationwide. ENR ranked HITT No. 8 among U.S. contractors for 2026, up from No. 10 the previous year.
HITT moved from No. 3 to No. 1 on ENR's 2026 East Top Contractors ranking, reporting approximately $7.58 billion in regional revenue. Telecommunications, which includes the company's rapidly expanding mission-critical work, accounted for 85% of that business.
Growth is also accelerating farther south.
HITT jumped from No. 14 to No. 5 among ENR's largest contractors in Texas and the Southeast. The company generated approximately $3.78 billion in regional revenue, with 71% coming from telecommunications and another 9% from manufacturing.
4. STO Building Group
Growth Momentum Score: 92/100
STO's score reflects its strong revenue gains, rapid movement into the top tier of U.S. contractors, and a diversified business model that gives it several paths for future expansion.
ENR moved STO from No. 6 in 2025 to No. 3 in its 2026 Top 400 Contractors ranking. Reported construction revenue increased from approximately $12 billion to $15.6 billion in one year, representing growth of roughly 30%.
STO Building Group's parent organization, Global Infrastructure Solutions, says the business has grown from approximately $3 billion in annual revenue to more than $15 billion since their partnership began.
Unlike contractors that depend heavily on one market, STO operates through a family of companies serving different segments of the construction industry. These include Structure Tone, LF Driscoll, Pavarini McGovern, Layton Construction, Govan Brown, and other builders.
5. PCL Construction
Growth Momentum Score: 89/100
PCL receives an 89 for strong year-over-year revenue growth combined with a broad presence in manufacturing, infrastructure, power, and industrial construction.
The contractor reported $9.9 billion in U.S. contracting revenue for 2025, up from $8.3 billion the previous year. That works out to growth of approximately 19%.
PCL ranked No. 14 on ENR's 2026 Top 400 Contractors list.
What makes its growth different is the range of markets driving it. PCL points to continued expansion across civic infrastructure, higher education, manufacturing, and sustainable construction.
The company is also active in power and industrial construction. In ENR's 2026 Texas and Southeast rankings, PCL appeared among leading contractors in power and industrial process construction.
That diversification could become increasingly valuable.
6. Gray
Growth Momentum Score: 88/100
Gray earns an 88 because it is gaining ground in two rapidly expanding construction markets at the same time: advanced manufacturing and data centers.
The Kentucky-based design-builder moved from No. 36 to No. 30 on ENR's Top 400 Contractors list in 2026.
More importantly, Gray has climbed into the top 15 nationally among telecommunications contractors as its data center business expands. The company is now ranked No. 15 in telecommunications and No. 14 in data center construction by ENR.
Gray says it has delivered more than 45 data centers and is working with more than 1,900 MW of new capacity for data center customers.
But data centers are only one part of its business.
Gray remains one of the country's major industrial and manufacturing contractors, ranking No. 7 nationally among industrial contractors and No. 7 in manufacturing.
7. Burns & McDonnell
Growth Momentum Score: 87/100
Burns & McDonnell receives an 87 because it is positioned at the intersection of two major construction growth areas: digital infrastructure and the enormous amount of new power infrastructure needed to support it.
The employee-owned engineering and construction firm reported $8.6 billion in 2025 revenue and worked on more than 25,000 projects worldwide.
ENR's 2026 Top 400 Contractors ranking moved Burns & McDonnell from No. 42 to No. 35.
The company also maintained its No. 7 position on ENR's Top 500 Design Firms list and ranked No. 1 in power for the 11th consecutive year.
That power expertise is becoming particularly valuable.
8. Suffolk Construction
Growth Momentum Score: 85/100
Suffolk earns an 85 because its rising national ranking is backed by a particularly strong pipeline of new contracts.
The Boston-based company climbed from No. 28 to No. 23 in ENR's 2026 Top 400 Contractors ranking, with approximately $7.66 billion in 2025 construction revenue.
There is another number that makes Suffolk particularly interesting: new contracts.
ENR reported approximately $11.84 billion in new contracts for Suffolk, placing it No. 15 nationally in that category. New contract volume can provide a useful look at where future construction activity may be heading because today's project awards become tomorrow's revenue and workload.
Suffolk has also been expanding its technology capabilities alongside its physical construction business.
9. Brasfield & Gorrie
Growth Momentum Score: 84/100
Brasfield & Gorrie scores an 84 because of its strong Southeast presence, growing telecommunications business, and exposure to some of America's fastest-growing construction markets.
ENR reported approximately $7.53 billion in 2025 revenue for the company across Texas and the Southeast, ranking it No. 2 in the region.
The revenue mix is also changing.
About 27% of its regional business came from telecommunications, while manufacturing accounted for another 4%. Brasfield & Gorrie generated more than $2 billion in telecommunications construction revenue across the region.
Among its major projects is the Atlanta Keep 2.0 ATL 8 Data Center in Cartersville, Georgia, valued by ENR at approximately $608 million.
10. Ryan Companies
Growth Momentum Score: 81/100
Ryan receives an 81 because of its significant jump in ENR's rankings and its ability to participate in development, design, construction, and property operations rather than construction alone.
The Minneapolis-based real estate and construction company jumped from No. 43 to No. 33 in ENR's 2026 Top 400 Contractors ranking, one of the larger moves among contractors in this part of the list.
Ryan takes a broader approach than a traditional general contractor. Its operations span development, architecture and engineering, construction, real estate management, and capital markets.
What's Driving Construction Growth This Year?
ENR reported that Top 400 contractor revenue increased 11.8% to $671.4 billion in 2025. But underneath that headline number are several different construction booms happening at the same time.
Data centers and AI infrastructure: Hyperscale facilities are becoming larger and more power-intensive as technology companies expand computing capacity.
Power: Data center growth is creating additional demand for generation, transmission, substations, and other electrical infrastructure.
Advanced manufacturing: Semiconductor plants, automotive facilities, battery manufacturing, food production, and other industrial projects continue to create opportunities for large design-build contractors.
Sunbelt infrastructure: Population and business growth across states such as Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas is increasing demand for roads, utilities, commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, and other infrastructure.
Public infrastructure: Federal, state, and local spending continues to support highway, bridge, transit, water, and civil construction projects.
The companies benefiting most aren't necessarily chasing the same type of project. They're positioning themselves where several of these trends overlap.