The value of commercial- and multifamily-housing projects in metro Phoenix reached $1.96 billion in 2015, down15 percent from the previous year, according to figures from Dodge Data & Analytics.

Nationwide, commercial and multifamily building projects in 2015 totaled $162.7 billion, up 8 percent from the previous year, Dodge’s reported.

The commercial and multifamily total is comprised of office buildings, stores, hotels, warehouses, garages and service stations, and multifamily housing. 

“The construction-start statistics do show some deceleration for the commercial building sector at the national level during 2015, after the substantial gain witnessed during 2014,” said Robert A. Murray, Dodge chief economist. “The recovery for commercial building has so far been hesitant, with periods of increased activity often followed by a pause.”

Dodge reported $2.32 billion worth of construction starts in 2014 in the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale region and $1.93 billion in 2013. The three-year average was $2.07 billion.

Denver reported $3 billion in construction starts in 2015, up 19 percent from the previous year and Dallas was up 35 percent to $6.05 billion, according to Dodge.