National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

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 ...
Builder Sentiment Posts Notable Decline on Economic Uncertainty
Builder Sentiment Posts Notable Decline on Economic Uncertainty
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Economic uncertainty coupled with rising building material costs and interest rates resulted in a sharp decline in builder sentiment in April as the housing market enters into the heart of ...
Higher Energy Prices Increase Residential Construction Costs
Higher Energy Prices Increase Residential Construction Costs
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Energy input prices increased in March at their fastest pace since June of 2020 as the conflict in Iran shocked critical global supply chains. Building material prices, excluding energy, rose ...
Single-Family Permits Decline Sharply to Start 2026
Single-Family Permits Decline Sharply to Start 2026
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Residential construction activity began 2026 on a mixed note, with single-family permitting weakening significantly while multifamily activity remained relatively stable. Higher borrowing costs and affordability constraints continue to weigh on ...
Existing Home Sales Fell in March
Existing Home Sales Fell in March
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Existing home sales fell to a nine-month low in March as tight inventory, rising mortgage rates and growing concerns about the job market constrained sales activity. While inventory has improved ...
2025 Regional and State-Level GDP Data
2025 Regional and State-Level GDP Data
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In 2025, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported that real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded nationally, with growth recorded across all states and the District of Columbia. The increase ...
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Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending July 7th, total mortgage activity increased 0.9% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate rose 22 basis points to 7.07%. The FRM rate has risen 30 basis points over...

Consumer prices in June saw a continued deceleration, with the smallest year-over-year gain since March 2021. Over the past twelve months, inflation has been consistently decelerating. Despite a slowdown compared to the previous month, the shelter index (housing inflation) continued to be the largest contributor...

Consumer credit outstanding growth slowed to a 30-month low of 1.8% in May 2023 (SAAR) according to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report, as revolving and nonrevolving debt grew at 8.2% and -0.4%, respectively. Credit growth for March and April—each of which were...

Data obtained from the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB, show that the rising trend of two or more stories homes continued in 2022. Although the overall share remained virtually unchanged, the share of two or more stories homes started...

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the first quarter of 2023. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the percent change in real GDP increased ranged from 12.4 percent in North Dakota to...

The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy moved lower in May, falling to 9.8 million. While ongoing tight labor market conditions have likely confirmed one to two more Fed rate hikes through the start of the Fall, the JOLTS survey is another...

After two consecutive monthly declines, existing home sales saw a modest increase in May as mortgage rates were relatively steady in April, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, elevated mortgage rates and limited inventory continued to weight on homebuyers. Low resale inventory...

Consumer confidence in June rose to its highest level in 17 months as recession concerns eased. However, spending plans were mixed. Vacation intentions continued to improve, while the intention to buy homes and big-ticket appliances cooled further due to elevated mortgage rates. This shift in...

NAHB analysis of Census Construction Spending data shows that private residential construction spending rose 2.2% in May, as spending on single-family homes increased 1.7%. However, total private residential construction spending is still 11.6% lower compared to a year ago. The total construction monthly increase is...

The population of North Carolina rebounded strongly from a brief period of negative growth the state experienced in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. North Carolina’s population grew at a rate of 1.3% between 2021 and 2022, the ninth fastest of any state. By count,...

NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly state and local tax data shows that $174 billion in taxes were paid by property owners in the first quarter of 2023 (not seasonally adjusted).[1] In the four quarters ending Q1 2023, state and local governments collected $714...

The 2022 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau shows that the average completion time of a single-family house is around 9.6 months, including a little over a month from authorization to start and another 8.3 months to finish the construction. This is almost...

NAHB analysis of county level permit data and demographic data indicates that single-family home building in the first quarter of 2023 is occurring mostly in counties where baby boomers make up a majority of the population. The Census Bureau provides county level population age estimates...

A lack of existing inventory coupled with solid consumer demand helped to boost new home sales in May to their highest level since February 2022. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in May increased 12.2% to a 763,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to newly...

The failure of several banks in 2023 and the ensuing stress in U.S. financial markets have had an effect that some builders and developers are beginning to notice, according to two recent NAHB surveys. In one of the surveys, roughly three-in-five builders and developers reported...

In a previous blog post, NAHB analyzed the national data released by BUILDER Magazine. Earlier this month, BUILDER Magazine also released Local Leaders data on the top 10 builders in the top 50 largest new-home markets in the U.S. (ranking determined by the number of...

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 39 states and the District of Columbia in May compared to the previous month, while 11 states lost jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 339,000 in May, following a gain of...

The Top 10 builders captured 43.2% of new single-family home closings (i.e., sales) in 2022, the highest percentage on record based on data released by BUILDER Magazine; this is a 9 percentage point increase from 2021, the largest year-over-year increase since NAHB’s tracking began in...

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