National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Homeownership Rate Edges Down to 65.3% 
Homeownership Rate Edges Down to 65.3% 
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The latest homeownership rate declined to 65.3% in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Census’s Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS). While this was a modest quarterly decrease, the broader ...
The Silver Tsunami Isn’t Landing Where It’s Needed Most
The Silver Tsunami Isn’t Landing Where It’s Needed Most
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The “silver tsunami” refers to the wave of housing inventory expected as older homeowners downsize or transition out of their homes. According to the latest American Community Survey, there are ...
State-Level Employment Situation: February 2026
State-Level Employment Situation: February 2026
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February’s labor market data point to a notable pullback in employment, with job losses concentrated across a majority of states and only modest gains elsewhere. While January showed solid momentum, ...
Population Growth and Housing Supply Dynamics at the County Level in 2025
Population Growth and Housing Supply Dynamics at the County Level in 2025
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U.S. population growth slowed notably in the latest Vintage 2025 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, with the nation expanding by just 0.5% in 20251, roughly half the pace ...
Construction Workforce Shifts: Fewer Tradesmen, More White-Collar Jobs
Construction Workforce Shifts: Fewer Tradesmen, More White-Collar Jobs
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The long-running shift in the construction labor force away from construction trades and toward management, business, and technical roles is ongoing and gaining momentum, according to NAHB’s analysis of the ...
Count of Second Homes Declines in 2024
Count of Second Homes Declines in 2024
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In 2024, the number of second homes in the U.S. was 6.2 million, accounting for 4.3% of the nation’s housing stock, according to NAHB estimates. This reflects a modest decline ...
Young Adults Report More Interest in the Construction Trades: 2026 Survey
Young Adults Report More Interest in the Construction Trades: 2026 Survey
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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 ...
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As discussed in Eye on Housing last year, builders have been including decks on fewer and fewer new homes recently. According to NAHB tabulation of data from the HUD/Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC), well over 20% of all single-family homes started had decks from...

NAHB analysis of Census Construction Spending data shows that private residential construction spending rose 1.2% in October, after a dip in September. It stood at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of $884 billion. Total private residential construction spending is 0.7% higher compared to a year...

Pets can have a significant impact on home buying decisions for many people. According the U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 data shows that there are 63.8 million occupied housing units have at least one pet which represents almost 50% of the 128.5 million occupied housing units....

According to data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), custom homes share increased to 20.4 percent of all single-family homes started in 2022 from the 17.6 percent recorded in 2021. The custom home market consists of contractor-built and owner-built houses—homes built one at...

The report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston discusses the recent trends in consumer price inflation, focusing on the period from 2021 to June 2023. After experiencing elevated readings in 2021 and 2022, inflation has moderated this year. The total consumer price index (CPI)...

The volume of total outstanding acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) loans posted a decline during the third quarter of 2023 as interest rates increased and financial conditions tightened. The volume of 1-4 unit residential construction loans made by FDIC-insured institutions declined by 2.8% during the...

National home prices continued to increase in September. Despite rising mortgage rates, limited inventory and solid but weakened demand provided solid support for home prices. Locally, all of 20 metro areas had positive home price appreciation in September. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home...

The most recent release of the Census Bureaus’ Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA) reported that of the 99,290 unfurnished, unsubsidized apartments completed in the second quarter of 2023, 65% were absorbed into the market in the first three months following completion....

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 third quarter of 2023, there...

Elevated mortgage rates that averaged 7.62% in October per Freddie Mac, the highest rate since 2000, depressed buyer demand and pushed down new home sales in October. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in October fell 5.6% to a 679,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, following...

According to NAHB analysis of quarterly Census data, the count of multifamily, for-rent housing starts remained elevated during the third quarter of 2023. For the quarter, 104,000 multifamily residences started construction. Of this total, 101,000 were built-for-rent. The market share of rental units of multifamily...

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...

Existing home sales in October fell to the lowest level since August 2010, as limited inventory and higher mortgage rates continued to weigh on homebuyers, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Low resale inventory and strong demand continued to drive up existing home...

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. There were 50,000 total custom building starts during the third quarter of the year....

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 25 states in September compared to the previous month, while 22 states lost jobs. The District of Columbia, North Dakota, New Mexico, and Virginia reported no change. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased...

Single-family built-for-rent construction has cooled as investor interest has pulled back on tighter financial conditions, leading to flat construction conditions after recent gains. According to NAHB’s analysis of data from the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, there were approximately 17,000...

Despite weakness for single-family construction in 2023, townhouse construction recorded the best quarter for starts in 16 years. According to NAHB analysis of the most recent Census data of Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, during the third quarter of 2023, single-family attached starts...

Single-family construction held steady in October as high mortgage rates depressed demand but more buyers turned to new homes because of a lack of existing inventory. Overall housing starts increased 1.9% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.37 million units, according to...

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