NAHB estimates the U.S. has a structural housing deficit of 1.2 million units. Among the myriad of headwinds home builders face trying to close that gap is the industry’s chronic shortage of workers in the construction trades. This shortage is responsible for an approximate $11 billion per year impact in terms of higher cost and lost construction, per an NAHB estimate conducted for the Home Builders Institute.
Closing the housing deficit will necessarily entail recruiting younger workers willing to start a career in the construction trades. This new NAHB survey research sheds light on the attitude of young adults ages 18 to 25 towards the construction trades, and where possible, compares findings to a similar study conducted a decade ago. As an update to the 2016 study, this research finds improved young adult interest in the construction trades. This occurs in a period when the impact of technology and changing economic conditions are questioning the future of work. However, more work needs to be done given the still relatively low interest in construction among young adults.
While most young adults know the field in which they want (or currently have) a career, certainty about career choice is waning. In 2016, 74% knew the field where they wanted to work. In 2026, that share is down to 65%. The drop is likely associated with broader economic uncertainty and changing labor market dynamics.
In a positive development for the home building industry, the share interested in a career in the construction trades doubled from 3% to 6% during this period. The two most important benefits they see in a career in the trades are good pay (73%) and the ability to obtain useful skills (65%).
Young adults without a clear sense of career direction received a follow-up question about the chance they might consider a number of fields (construction trades being one of them) using a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 meant ‘no chance no matter the pay’ and 5 meant ‘very good chance if the pay is high.’ In 2026, construction trades received an average rating of 2.6, tying in fourth place on a list of 13 possible fields. A decade earlier, the trades received an average rating of 2.1 and ranked ninth on the same list.
Results further show that of all the young adults who are undecided about a field of work, 51% would be reluctant to consider a career in the trades regardless of pay (rated it a 1 or 2). That share is down from 63% in 2016, however. On the contrary, 30% would likely give the trades a second thought if compensation were high enough (rated it a 4 or 5). Only 18% would have done so a decade ago. These shifts point to a measurable improvement in young adults’ attitudes towards the construction trades over the last 10 years, where willingness to enter the field responds more elastically to higher levels of compensation.
A final question asked the group most reluctant to consider a career in the trades if any compensation level might make them reconsider, and 48% once again affirmed they would not accept a career in the trades at any level of compensation. But, in a critical finding for the home building industry, most (52%) undecided young adults aged 18 to 25 who in theory would not choose a career in the trades would in fact reconsider that position for the right paycheck. That figure is at least $90,000 for 32% of this group and $60,000 to $80,000 for the other 20%. There are 12 construction occupations whose median annual wages already meet or exceed that threshold.
A complete research paper on this topic can be found here, including more granular details about how different subsets of young adults—across gender lines, race/ethnicity, community type (urban, suburban, rural) and region of the country—feel toward a career in the construction trades.