National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Single-Family Home Construction Time Declines in 2025
Single-Family Home Construction Time Declines in 2025
Posted on
Building a new single-family home took less time in 2025 compared to the previous three years. On average, it now takes 8.8 months from start to finish. That time includes ...
Shorter Apartment Construction Time in 2025
Shorter Apartment Construction Time in 2025
Posted on
The average time needed to complete construction of a multifamily building after obtaining authorization edged down in 2025, according to the 2025 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau. ...
Beating Expectations: U.S. Economy Adds 162,000 Jobs in August
Beating Expectations: U.S. Economy Adds 162,000 Jobs in August
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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 ...
Previous
Next

Subscribe

Stay updated on housing trends by subscribing to our blog via email.

Indices

View latest releases of NAHB indices such as the Housing Market Index.

Local Data

View our dashboard and blogs featuring metro-level data and more. 

Filter by Category

Over the first seven months of 2023, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 527,158. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 18.4% below the July 2022 level of 645,877. Year-to-date ending in July, single-family permits declined in all four regions....

According to the latest Producer Price Index report, the price level of inputs to residential construction less energy (i.e., building materials) ticked up 0.1% in August (not seasonally adjusted). Prices have also increased 0.2% over the past 12 months as year-over-year price growth has slowed...

Consumer prices in August saw the largest monthly gain since June 2022, primarily driven by a surge in gasoline costs. Core service inflation excluding housing was little changed in August, suggesting that the path toward disinflation ahead still has some fluctuations. Meanwhile, shelter costs continued...

Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending September 8th, total mortgage activity decreased 0.8% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate rose six basis points to 7.27%. The FRM rate has remained above 7% since the...

Consumer credit outstanding growth slowed to 2.5% in July, down from 3.4% in July (SAAR) according to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report. Revolving credit growth reaccelerated to 9.2% in July, potentially reflecting strong consumer sentiment and job security in a tight—albeit cooling—labor...

The second quarter of 2023 release of the Z.1 Financial Accounts of the United States indicates that the market value of households’ real estate assets increased over the quarter. Low existing for-sale inventory helped to increase real estate value after falling for three consecutive quarters....

A majority of single-family home building occurs in counties that are in the lowest quintile of homeownership rates, according to NAHB analysis of 2021 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) county-level data and single-family permit numbers. This somewhat counterintuitive result is actually a reflection of the...

The number of women employed in the construction industry increased to over 1.28 million in 2022, as the construction industry recovered all jobs lost during the pandemic. Currently, women make up 10.9% of the construction workforce, up from 9.3% in 2002. As the construction skilled...

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....

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

According to the latest Survey of Construction (SOC), 42 percent of new single-family detached homes sold in 2022 were built on lots under 7,000 square feet, that is 0.16 of an acre. This is the highest share on record and reflects stark changes in the...

According to the annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), stucco was the most common principal siding material on new single-family homes started in 2022 (28%), followed by vinyl siding (26%), fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard (21%) and, brick...

According to the data released by Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), private fixed investment in student dormitories inched up 1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $3.6 billion in the second quarter of 2022, after a 6.4% increase in the first quarter. Private...

NAHB analysis of the 2022 Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC) data shows that, nationwide, the share of non-conventional financing for new home sales accounted for 28.1% of the market, roughly the same as in 2021, at 28.8%. As in previous years, conventional financing dominated...

Rising mortgage rates and elevated construction costs have taken a toll on the pace of single-family construction in markets across the nation, with the slowdown most pronounced in large metro areas. Multifamily market growth also fell in most areas of the country, according to the...

NAHB analysis of Census Construction Spending data shows that private residential construction spending rose 1.4% in July after an increase of 1.5% in June and 3.5% in May. Spending stood at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of $879 billion. However, total private residential construction spending...

The recent employment data indicates that the labor market is cooling gradually due to rising interest rates. Total employment increased by 187,000 and the unemployment rate rose to 3.8% from 3.5%. Wage growth slowed. In August, wages grew at a 4.3% year-over-year growth rate, down...

According to NAHB analysis of the Survey of Construction (SOC), new single-family starts decreased in 2022. Nationally, 1,018,495 new single-family units started construction in 2022, 10% fewer than the number of units started in 2021. It marked the first decrease since 2011 but was still...

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Email Frequency