Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending April 7th, total mortgage activity increased 5.3% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate fell ten basis points to 6.30%. The FRM rate has fallen 41 basis points over...
Consumer prices in March saw the smallest year-over-year gain since May 2021 with a ninth consecutive month of a deceleration. While the shelter index (housing inflation) experienced its smallest monthly gain since November 2022, it continued to be the largest contributor to the total increase,...
According to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report, total consumer credit outstanding totaled $4.78 trillion in February, a decrease of $12 billion over the month but $300 billion higher than February 2022. Nonevolving credit outstanding increased $1.0 billion while the level of revolving...
Average hourly earnings for residential building workers* continue to rise in February 2023 but at a slower pace. Wage growth has retreated below or close to 3%, from the highest rate of 2021. Labor market data indicate that business hiring is softening as the economy...
Job growth slowed in March, along with higher interest rates and increased economic uncertainty. After a revised 326,000 job gain in February, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 236,000 in March, and the unemployment rate declined to 3.5% from 3.6% in February. Average hourly earnings...
Earlier this year, we published a post highlighting a continuing high reliance of construction on immigrant workers post pandemic. Immigrants make one in four construction workers. The share is significantly higher, reaching 30%, among construction tradesmen. In some states, reliance on foreign-born labor is even...
As described in a previous post, NAHB’s recently released its 2023 Priced-Out Estimates, show that 96.5 million households are not able to afford a median priced new home, and that an additional 140,436 households would be priced out if the price goes up by $1,000....
According to the latest 2021 ACS, close to 11 million people, including self-employed workers, worked in construction in 2021. NAHB Economics estimates that out of this total, 4.5 million people worked in residential construction, accounting for 2.9% of the US employed civilian labor force. Home...
The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy declined again in February, falling to 9.9 million, after an 11.2 million reading in December, which was the highest level since July, and 10.6 million in January. The count of total job openings should fall...
Private residential construction spending declined 0.6% in February, as spending on single-family construction decreased 1.8%. Spending declined for the ninth month in a row amid elevated mortgage interest rates. Consequently, private residential construction is 5.7% lower compared to a year ago. The monthly decline is...
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 42 states and the District of Columbia in 2022 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Six states recorded declines while Maryland and New Hampshire reported no change. The percent change in real GDP ranged from...
According to NAHB analysis of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) data, large banks (assets greater than $10 billion) have increased their share of the residential construction loan market above pre-Great Recession levels in recent years. A 1-4 family residential construction loan is used for residential...
According to the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS), 23% (or close to 2.5 million) of workers employed in construction are self-employed. This is a whole percentage point higher than the share of self employed in construction in 2019, before the pandemic rattled the labor market....
NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly state and local tax data shows that $286 billion in taxes were paid by property owners in the fourth quarter of 2022 (not seasonally adjusted).[1] State and local governments collected $714 billion in property taxes in 2022, $46...
Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 44 states and the District of Columbia in February compared to the previous month, while five states lost jobs. Oklahoma remained unchanged. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 311,000 in February, following...
Consumer confidence rose slightly following two months of declines thanks to the optimism in the short-term outlook. Even though confidence rose in March, consumers are planning to spend less on highly discretionary categories such as concerts and dining. As a result, consumers are planning to...
Based on the Census Bureaus’ latest estimates, the population of the State of Texas grew by 470,708 persons between 2021 and 2022. This nominal increase was the largest of any state. Texas joined California as the second state to have a total population above 30...
Higher mortgage rates and home prices, as well as increased construction costs contributed to lackluster new home sales in February, but signs point to improvement later in the year. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in February increased 1.1% to a 640,000 seasonally adjusted annual...
