Crushed Stone and Sand & Gravel Prices - 2007

Implications: Strong aggregates price increases nationwide in 2007.

Analysis: Data released by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that crushed stone and sand & gravel (aggregates) prices increased strongly in 2007 up 10.2% nationwide (does not include Alaska and Hawaii).  The price increased occurred in spite of lower volumes in all states with the exception of Kentucky +3.2%, Utah +19.7% and Colorado unchanged.  Aggregates prices averaged $8.09 / metric ton in 2007 compared to $7.34 / metric ton in 2006.  All states had price gains with the exception of Rhode Island down 7.3%.

The West South Central region had the strongest price gains up 16.1% for an average price of $7.23 / m.t., led by Oklahoma and Texas up 20.4% & 17.5% respectively.  The data represents the weighted average of aggregates sold in each region for 2007 and their respective prices. The West North Central region saw gains of 13.4% for an average price of $7.14 / m.t. led by North Dakota +25.2% and Nebraska +24.4%.  The New England States had an increase of 12.3% to an average price of $9.14, with the strongest gains in Massachusetts +16.7% and Maine +12.6%.  In spite of being hit very hard by the housing slowdown, the South Atlantic region saw price gains of 11.6%, led by North Carolina +21.8% and South Carolina +13.3%. Strong price gains were posted by all states in the region with the lowest gains in Maryland +9.8% and Florida +9.4%. The South Atlantic region had the highest aggregates prices in 2007 at $10.56 / m.t. The East North Central region also had price gains above the national average up 10.4%.  This region had the lowest prices in the nation averaging $6.37 / m.t. The strongest price gains in this region were in Wisconsin +23.1% and Ohio +9.6%. The Middle Atlantic region posted a price increase of 10.2% to $8.14 / m.t. New Jersey and New York had the highest gains at 11.3% and 10.1% respectively.  The Mountain States had a 9.5% price increase to $6.89 / m.t., with the strongest gains in Wyoming +26.5%, Idaho +11.5% and Arizona +10.9%. The Pacific region saw gains of 8.7% overall to $10.15 / m.t. with the strongest gains in California +10.5%.  It is important to note that the overall price increase in this region also reflects a 21.6% decline in volumes for California that adversely impacted the overall price increase in 2007, in spite of price gains of 9.7% for Oregon and Washington. The region with lowest price increase was East South Central up 7.7% to $7.66 / m.t. led by Tennessee +9.5% and Mississippi +8.5%.  The states with the highest aggregates prices in 2007 were: North Carolina $12.42, Virginia $11.56, California $11.47, Florida $10.54, Maryland $10.35 and Massachusetts $10.35. The states with the lowest aggregates prices in 2007 were: North Dakota $3.42, Michigan $4.68, South Dakota $5.20, Utah $5.44, Idaho $5.66 and Nevada $5.88.