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. In 2024, 65% of NAHB’s members were associate members—those involved…
In 2024, the number of women employed in the construction industry rose to around 1.34 million. Women now represent 11.2% of the construction workforce, the highest share in the past 20 years. This rise aligns with the growing presence of white-collar jobs in the industry. As the industry continues to face a persistent shortage of skilled…
After a monetary policy pause that began at the start of 2025, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee (FOMC) voted to reduce the short-term federal funds rate by 25 basis points at the conclusion of its September meeting. This move decreased the target federal funds rate to an upper rate of 4.25%. Economically, the cut…
Challenging affordability conditions continue to act as headwinds for the housing industry, but the sector could see lower interest rates in the near future with the Federal Reserve expected to cut short-term interest rates this afternoon. Overall housing starts decreased 8.5% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.31 million units, according to a…
Builder sentiment levels remained unchanged in September but lower mortgage rates and expectations that the Federal Reserve will soon cut the federal funds rate led to higher future sale expectations in the coming months. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 32 in September, unchanged from the August reading, according to…
Inflation accelerated to a seven month high in August as tariff-related costs continued to pass through to consumers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) latest report. Core goods prices, which exclude volatile food and energy, rose by 1.5% in August, the fastest annual pace since May 2023. Meanwhile, housing inflation continued to show…
Single-family housing permits slipped for the seventh month in a row, highlighting affordability headwinds and weak demand. While multifamily permits ticked up, the sector’s volatility leaves the outlook uncertain. The split underscores a housing market still under strain, with single-family softness weighing on broader growth prospects. Over the first seven months of 2025, the total…
