National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Beating Expectations: U.S. Economy Adds 162,000 Jobs in August
Beating Expectations: U.S. Economy Adds 162,000 Jobs in August
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The U.S. labor market rebounded in August, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by 162,000 and upward revisions adding 55,000 jobs to June and July. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, ...
New vs. Existing Home Prices: What the National Median Misses
New vs. Existing Home Prices: What the National Median Misses
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In the second quarter of 2026, the national median price for a new single-family home was $410,700, $25,000 lower than the national median price of an existing home, which stood at $435,700. This marks the largest difference between the national median trends for existing and new home ...
Mortgage Rates Climb as Global Forces Push Yields Higher
Mortgage Rates Climb as Global Forces Push Yields Higher
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Mortgage rates increased in August as Treasury yields remained elevated amid persistent inflation concerns. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.67% in August, up 13 basis points ...
Share of New Homes with Patios Dips to a Six-Year Low
Share of New Homes with Patios Dips to a Six-Year Low
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The share of new homes with patios dipped below 61% for the first time since 2019, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (conducted by the ...
Private Residential Construction Spending Continues to Weaken
Private Residential Construction Spending Continues to Weaken
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Private residential construction spending fell further in July, marking its fourth consecutive monthly decline. According to the latest construction spending data from the U.S. Census Bureau, private residential construction spending ...
House Price Appreciation by State and Metro Area in the Second Quarter of 2026
House Price Appreciation by State and Metro Area in the Second Quarter of 2026
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U.S. house prices continued to rise in the second quarter of 2026, with most states and metropolitan areas recording annual gains. Elevated borrowing costs and affordability constraints remained important headwinds, ...
Number of Open Construction Sector Positions Rising
Number of Open Construction Sector Positions Rising
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The number of open positions in the construction sector increased in July per the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The current level of open jobs ...
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Wages for residential building workers grew at a fast pace of 9.9% in September, following a 10.8% gain in August. These year-over-year growth rates in the past four months were unprecedented in the history of the data series since 1990. After a 0.3% increase in...

Private residential construction spending inched up 0.2% in September, according to the Census Construction Spending data. The September report shows a 4.1% rise compared to a year ago.   The monthly increase in total private construction spending for September was largely due to more spending...

Building on the post-pandemic trend, the share of young adults (aged 25-34) living with their parents fell to a decade low, according to NAHB analysis of 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS). However, young adults continue to face difficult decisions about...

Job growth decelerated significantly in October, driven by the effects of strikes and hurricanes. As stated in this month’s job report, October data are “the first collected since Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the United States”. Despite lower monthly job gains, the unemployment rate held...

Home price growth continued to slow in August, growing at a rate just above 4% year-over-year. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index (seasonally adjusted – SA) posted a 4.24% annual gain, down from a 4.82% increase in July. Similarly, the Federal Housing Finance Agency...

Personal income increased by 0.3% in September, following a 0.2% up in August and a 0.3% increase in July, according to the most recent data release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The gains in personal income were largely driven by increases in wages, salaries,...

Approximately 27% of the national housing stock consists of multifamily homes—defined as residential buildings with multiple separate housing units within one structure. According to the 2023 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, these units range from small duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes (2 to 4 units) to...

Housing’s share of the economy fell 0.1 percentage points to 16.2% in the third quarter of 2024 according to the advance estimate of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The share was revised upwards for both the first and second quarter of 2024...

The U.S. economy grew at a solid pace in the third quarter of 2023, boosted by strong consumer spending and government spending. According to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded at an annual rate...

The homeownership rate for those under the age of 35 dropped to 37% in the third quarter of 2024, reaching the lowest level since the third quarter of 2019, according to the Census’s Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS). Amidst elevated mortgage interest rates and tight housing...

After a period of slowing associated with declines for some elements of residential construction, the count of open construction sector jobs trended lower in the September data, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The data indicates the demand...

With elevated interest rates and rising home prices, 103.5 million households in the United States cannot afford a $495,750 median-priced new home. The growing affordability crisis makes housing a top issue for voters in the 2024 presidential election. Both presidential candidates have offered housing policy...

As of 2023, nearly 40% of homeowners in the United States are mortgage-free, the highest level seen in the past 13 years. With elections approaching, it is valuable to analyze the share of mortgage-free homeowners across congressional districts, as these patterns often provide insights into...

All-cash purchases accounted for 7.9% of new home sales in the third quarter of 2024, marking the highest level this year but lowest level for the third quarter since 2022, according to NAHB analysis of the latest Census Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing...

With housing affordability at a multidecade low, housing costs have become a major issue in the 2024 presidential election. While NAHB reports the national homeownership rate from the Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancy Survey on a quarterly basis, examining characteristics across congressional districts provides valuable insights....

Home buyers moved off the sidelines in September following the Federal Reserve’s recent move to cut interest rates for the first time in four years.  Sales of newly built, single-family homes in September increased 4.1% to a 738,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate from a downwardly...

In 2023, the total number of second homes was 5.7 million, accounting for 4% of the total housing stock, according to NAHB estimates of the 2023 American Community Survey. Second homes have been in a steady decline over the past few years, from 7.15 million...

Despite recent easing mortgage rates and improved inventory, existing home sales fell to a 14-year low in September as elevated home prices are causing potential buyers to hold out for lower rates, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Sales remained sluggish as the...

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