National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Student Housing Construction Investment Holds Steady in the First Quarter of 2026
Student Housing Construction Investment Holds Steady in the First Quarter of 2026
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Private fixed investment in student dormitories edged up 0.1% in the first quarter of 2026, holding at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $3.9 billion. This modest gain marked ...
Housing’s Share of GDP Dips Below 16% for First Time Since 2019
Housing’s Share of GDP Dips Below 16% for First Time Since 2019
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Housing’s share of the economy was 15.9% in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest estimates of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This share is ...
U.S. Economy Rebounded in the First Quarter of 2026
U.S. Economy Rebounded in the First Quarter of 2026
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Real GDP growth accelerated in the first quarter of 2026, rebounding from a weak finish at the end of 2025, as government spending recovered following a disruptive shutdown. First-quarter growth ...
Powell’s Chair Ends but He Keeps His Board Seat
Powell’s Chair Ends but He Keeps His Board Seat
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The April meeting of the Fed’s monetary policy committee featured a lot of institutional news for a month in which the Fed kept monetary policy unchanged. The outlook for the ...
Home Building Shows Signs of Stabilization with Monthly Gain in Starts
Home Building Shows Signs of Stabilization with Monthly Gain in Starts
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Housing construction activity strengthened in March, with a notable rebound in both single-family and multifamily starts, signaling improved builder activity despite ongoing headwinds from financing costs and affordability constraints. While ...
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 ...
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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...

Confidence in the market for new multifamily housing was in negative territory for the third quarter, according to results from the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) released today by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The MMS produces two separate indices. The Multifamily Production Index...

High mortgage rates that approached 8% earlier this month continue to hammer builder confidence, but recent economic data suggest housing conditions may improve in the coming months. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes in November fell six points to 34 in...

According to the latest Producer Price Index report, the price level of inputs to residential construction less energy (i.e., building materials) declined 0.1% in October (not seasonally adjusted) following a 0.2% increase in September. The index has increased 1.0%, year-to-date, marking the smallest YTD gain...

Over the first nine months of 2023, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 693,908. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 13.3% below the September 2022 level of 800,424. Year-to-date ending in September, single-family permits declined in all four regions....

Consumer prices in October remained unchanged, with the increase in shelter index being offset by the decline in the gasoline index. This cooling inflation increases the probability that the Fed is done increasing rates. Despite the slowdown, shelter costs continue to be a key driver...

The Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Construction (SOC) shows minor changes in the number of full and half bathrooms for new single-family homes started in 2022 compared to 2021. The current data shows that 4.4% of new single-family homes started had one full bathroom or...

During the third quarter of 2023, availability of loans for residential Land Acquisition, Development & Construction (AD&C) continued to tighten, according to both NAHB’s survey on AD&C Financing and the Federal Reserve’s survey of senior loan officers. Each of the surveys produces a net easing...

According to the Federal Reserve Board’s November 2023 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey (SLOOS), lending standards tightened for all commercial real estate (CRE) loan categories and most residential real estate (RRE) categories in the third quarter of 2023. Moreover, demand for RRE and CRE loans...

Rising mortgage rates, elevated construction costs and limited existing inventory helped push housing affordability in the third quarter of 2023 to its lowest level in more than a decade. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), just 37.4%...

Median square foot prices (excluding record-high improved lot values) for new for-sale single-family detached (SFD) homes started in 2022 increased 18%, according to NAHB’s analysis of the latest Survey of Construction data. Increases for square foot prices in new custom SFD homes were similarly high,...

Consumer credit outstanding growth slowed to 0.4% in the third quarter of 2023 (SAAR) according to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report, as revolving debt grew 8.6% and nonrevolving debt declined 2.4%. On a monthly basis, revolving credit outstanding increased just 3.0% in...

Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending November 3rd, total mortgage activity increased 2.5% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate fell 25 basis points to 7.61%. The FRM rate has decreased by 6 basis points...

Porches have been a popular home feature, consistently ranking in the top 10 in the NAHB surveys of recent and prospective home buyers published in What Home Buyers Really Want. And porches remain as popular as ever specifically on new homes, according to NAHB tabulation...

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