A new quarterly Cost of Housing Index (CHI) highlights the burden that housing costs represent for middle and low-income families. In its inaugural release for the first quarter of 2024, CHI revealed that a typical family in the U.S. must spend 38% of its income to cover the mortgage payment on a median priced new…
The missing middle construction sector includes development of medium-density housing, such as townhouses, duplexes and other small multifamily properties. The multifamily segment of the missing middle (apartments in 2- to 4-unit properties) has disappointed since the Great Recession. For the first quarter of 2024, there were just 3,000 2- to 4-unit housing unit construction starts. This is…
Existing home sales fell for the second straight month in April, after a big monthly drop in March, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Meanwhile, low resale inventory and strong demand continued to drive up existing home prices, marking the tenth consecutive month of year-over-year median sales price gains. Due to elevated interest…
An expected impact of the virus crisis was a need for more residential space, as people use homes for more purposes including work. Home size correspondingly increased in 2021 as interest rates reached historic lows. However, as interest rates increased in 2022 and 2023, and housing affordability worsened, the demand for home size has trended…
NAHB’s analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates a slowing market for custom home building after a recent gain in market share. The subsector’s greater reliance on cash buyers has not shielded it from recent market softening, which in turn is putting downward pressure on home builder sentiment….
Close to 23% (or over 2.5 million) of workers employed in construction are self-employed, according to the 2022 American Community Survey (ACS). As industry payrolls expanded in 2022, the share of self-employed inched down. However, the share remained higher than it was in 2019, before the pandemic rattled the labor market. Even though the COVID-19…
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 38 states and the District of Columbia in April compared to the previous month, while 11 states saw a decrease. Alaska reported no change during this time. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 175,000 in April, following a gain of 315,000 jobs…
