National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Author: Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington

Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington is NAHB’s Assistant Vice President for Forecasting and Analysis. She oversees the activities of the Forecasting & Analysis section of the Economics group which includes housing market analysis, industry surveys, developing and maintaining national, regional, long-term, and remodeling expenditures forecasts. Previously, she worked at NAHB as a Senior Economist, responsible for state and local analysis. Prior to joining NAHB, Danushka worked at J.D. Power as a Senior Economic Analyst in the automotive industry. She is a member of the Joint Advisory Board of Economists for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Danushka holds a B.A. degree in Economics and Business Administration from Otterbein University and M.A. degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Single-Family Permitting Declines Through August

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

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State-Level Employment Situation: August 2026

State labor markets showed mixed results in August, with nonfarm payroll employment increasing in a majority of states. At the same time, construction employment posted a net gain nationally, although

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State-Level Employment Situation: July 2026

The labor market continued to lose momentum in July, with total nonfarm payroll employment declining nationally and employment gains becoming more limited across states. While overall employment fell by 23,000

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Housing Starts Retreat on Market Headwinds

Housing starts fell in July as economic uncertainty, rising construction costs, labor shortages and elevated financing expenses continued to challenge builders. Overall housing starts decreased 12.4% in July to a

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State-Level Employment Situation: June 2026

State labor market conditions softened in June as hiring slowed across much of the country. While a majority of states recorded payroll employment gains during the month, national job growth

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State-Level Employment Situation: April 2026

State labor market conditions remained generally positive in April, with most states recording employment gains despite signs of moderating national job growth. Construction employment also posted modest gains across much

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