Single-family permitting activity continued to soften through the first eight months of 2026, while multifamily permitting remained stronger compared with the same period last year. Regional and state-level trends show continued variation in permitting activity, reflecting differences in housing demand, affordability conditions, and local market...
A rich, peer-reviewed academic literature finds that homeownership produces benefits that extend well beyond house-price appreciation. As detailed in a 2003 Journal of Urban Economics literature review, research across economics, political science, sociology, medical research, and related fields identifies homeownership as both a wealth-building mechanism...
The Producer Price Index for final demand was up 1.3% in September, after rising 0.5% in August. Compared to a year ago, final demand prices were up 6.3%. The price of goods used in new residential construction (including energy) was up 1.8% over the month...
A previous post examined the median age of the overall construction workforce and how it compares with workers in all industries. This analysis takes a closer look at workers in construction trades, where the median ages differ considerably across occupations. According to NAHB analysis of...
Labor shortages in the home building industry are becoming more widespread, according to recent results from the NAHB/Well Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) survey. The September 2026 HMI survey asked builders about shortages in 16 specific trades. The percentage of builders reporting a shortage (either...
Higher energy prices pushed inflation to a four-month high in September, keeping pressure on the Fed as inflation has remained above its 2% target for more than five years. Gasoline prices remained the largest driver of headline inflation, accounting for over half of the monthly...
Existing home sales rose after three months of declines as improved inventory gave buyers more negotiating power. As buyers wait for rate relief, homes are sitting on the market longer and for-sale inventory reached the highest level in over a decade. Despite the increase, August...
The median age of construction workers is 42, one year older than a typical worker in the national labor force, according to NAHB analysis of the latest 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) data. At the same time, younger workers are becoming a growing part of...
Only 16% of NAHB builder members reported building age-restricted housing for people age 55 or older, according to 2025 Member Census. Even though it is down one percentage point from the previous year, this share has remained within a narrow band (15%-17%) since this question...
The share of new single-family homes built with individual wells and septic systems increased in 2025 compared to the previous year. According to NAHB’s analysis of the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), approximately 10% of single-family homes started in 2025 were served by individual...
In the third quarter of 2026, the NAHB Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a reading of 62, up one point compared to the previous quarter. The RMI has remained within a narrow band between 59 and 70 for the past four years. Remodeler sentiment remains...
Mortgage application activity declined as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose sharply. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, decreased 7.7% month-over-month in September on a seasonally adjusted basis. Compared to a year ago, total mortgage applications...
Mortgage rates rose sharply in September as multiple factors applied significant upward pressure on the U.S. treasury yields. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.86% in September, up nearly 20 basis points (bps) from August. The recent increase effectively erased the improvement...
In 2025, around a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer, slightly up from 2024, according to data obtained from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB. Despite the increase, the market share of two-story foyers has generally...
Every year since 2008, the NAHB has conducted a member census in order to better understand the composition and characteristics of the people who belong to its organization. Similar to a previous post about builder members, NAHB conducted a related analysis of its associate members....
The U.S. labor market cooled in September, with nonfarm payroll employment increasing by just 29,000 as downward revisions erased most of August’s previously reported strength. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%, as both employment and the labor force continued to grow. The September report...
Private residential construction spending rose in August 2026 following a series of declines during the second quarter of the year. According to the latest construction spending data from the U.S. Census Bureau, private residential construction spending came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR)...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how work gets done, but its impact varies considerably across occupations. For most construction occupations, near-term exposure to AI remains relatively low. An NAHB analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data finds that 45 of 47 selected...
