The AV Sales Index (AVI-S) for January registered 55.6, easing from December’s 56.6 and reflecting a typical start-of-year moderation in AV demand. The pullback is consistent with seasonal patterns, as education, corporate, and live events markets pause amid calendar resets, budget finalization, and slower project starts.
Despite the slight month-to-month softening, the index remains solidly in expansion territory, signaling continued growth in overall AV activity. Importantly, January’s AVI-S stands above year ago levels (51.5), reinforcing that underlying demand conditions entering 2026 are stronger than in early 2025.
January’s index reflects a combination of typical seasonal effects and broader macroeconomic conditions, including stable but still restrictive interest rates, cautious business investment, and soft non-residential construction activity early in the year. Education, corporate, and live events markets all experienced slower starts as budgets reset, project timelines extended, and cost pressures persisted.
The January AV Employment Index (AVI-E) dropped by one point to 54.4. January 2026 U.S. labor market conditions appear stable but soft, with low layoffs and subdued hiring momentum.
“Economic uncertainty on both a global and local scale is making a lot of our customers back off. Especially churches. Businesses and government and large-scale construction projects that were already planned for 2026-2027 are still moving forward, but the small day-to-day projects from local schools and churches have really fallen off because no one knows what is going to happen next,” shared a North American AV Integrator.
The Pro-AV Business Index report is derived from a monthly survey of the AVIXA Insights Community, a research community of industry members that tracks business trends in commercial AV. The report comprises two diffusion indexes: the AV Sales Index (AVI-S) and the AV Employment Index (AVI-E). In each case, an index above 50 indicates an increase in sales or employment activity.
Visit www.avixa.org/AVindex to access the free monthly Pro-AV Business Index reports and learn more about the methodology. For more information about joining the AVIXA Insights Community, visit www.avixa.org/AVIP.