National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Affordability Concerns Push New Home Sales Lower in May
Affordability Concerns Push New Home Sales Lower in May
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Elevated mortgage rates, rising inflation and economic uncertainty kept many buyers out of the market in May as consumers and builders continue to deal with challenging affordability conditions. While monthly ...
Sawmill Output Slips as Capacity Continues to Decline
Sawmill Output Slips as Capacity Continues to Decline
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U.S. sawmill production fell in the first quarter, the second consecutive quarter of lower output according to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report. Sawmill output has remained largely flat ...
State-Level Employment Situation: May 2026
State-Level Employment Situation: May 2026
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State labor market conditions remained mixed in May, with payrolls expanding in many states while job losses were concentrated in a smaller group of states and the District of Columbia ...
Structural Demand Outpacing Supply: Jobs-to-Permits Ratios Highlight Housing Gap
Structural Demand Outpacing Supply: Jobs-to-Permits Ratios Highlight Housing Gap
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Strong labor market growth continued to put pressure on the nation’s housing supply in 2024, as home building activity did not fully keep pace with demand driven by job gains. ...
Gains for Household Real Estate Assets
Gains for Household Real Estate Assets
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The market value of households’ real estate assets rose to a new high in the first quarter reaching $48.7 trillion, according to the most recent release of U.S. Federal Reserve ...
A Laconic Statement: Hawkish Hold and New Plans from the Fed
A Laconic Statement: Hawkish Hold and New Plans from the Fed
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With a new Fed Chair and plans for evolving operating strategies, the Federal Reserve maintained its target policy rate at the conclusion of the June Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) ...
Housing Starts Weaken in May as Multifamily Construction Slows
Housing Starts Weaken in May as Multifamily Construction Slows
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Housing starts fell sharply in May, driven by a steep drop in multifamily construction. Meanwhile, single-family buildings also slipped amid high interest rates, rising construction costs and ongoing labor shortages. ...
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Consumer prices in November saw the smallest year-over-year gain since December 2021.While still elevated, inflation experienced the second month below an 8% annual growth rate since February 2022. However, the shelter index continued to rise at an accelerated pace and was more than offsetting decreases...

The most recent release of the Z.1 Financial Accounts of the United States shows a sharp slowdown in the quarter-over-quarter growth of households’ real estate assets. After six consecutive quarters of above 3 percent growth quarter-over-quarter, the third quarter of 2022 saw a 1.74% increase...

The prices of building materials decreased 0.3% in November (not seasonally adjusted) following 0.5% and 0.1% declines in September and October, respectively, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report. The index has decreased five of six months for the first time since 2015....

According to data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), custom homes accounted for 17.6 percent of new single-family homes started—down slightly from the 17.8 percent recorded in 2020 and the lowest the annual custom home share has been since the 2005 re-design of...

The Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Construction (SOC) shows modest changes in the share of number of bedrooms for new single-family homes in 2021 compared with the previous year. The current estimates indicate the share of new single-family homes with 2 bedrooms or less is...

The most recent Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) shows that single-family home building slowed down its pace in the exurban areas, which experienced strong growth since the pandemic. Both high mortgage rates and supply-chain disruptions have put a damper on the housing market. The growth...

In November of 2022, 36 percent of single-family home builders reported reducing their prices, and 59 percent were offering special sales incentives. These percentages may seem relatively high—and in fact they have increased significantly since July of this year—but they are nowhere near as high...

In November, job growth slowed slightly from the previous month but still showed strength despite tight monetary policy. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7% in November as the number of persons in the labor force decreased for the third straight month. Total nonfarm payroll...

Residential construction loan volume reached a post-Great Recession high during the third quarter of 2022, as home building activity and new home sales remained weak. Outstanding builder loan balances are rising as development debt is being held longer as new homes remain in inventory longer....

Private residential construction spending declined 0.3% in October, as spending on single-family construction dropped 2.6%. Private residential construction spending fell for the fifth consecutive month, standing at an annual pace of $887.2 billion. This was about 8.6% higher compared to a year ago. The monthly...

Data from the Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Market Absorptions of New Multifamily Units (SOMA) indicates that the multifamily market remained strong during the second quarter of 2022 due to high demand. With low single-family housing supply and increased unaffordability of for-sale housing, many would-be...

The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy declined in October, falling from 10.7 million open positions to 10.3 million. This represents a small decrease from a year ago (11.1 million), a sign the labor market is slowing in response to tighter monetary...

Home prices declined for the third straight month in September as the housing market continues to cool. In September, all 20 metro areas experienced negative home price appreciation. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices, fell at...

Information obtained from the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB, shows the share of new homes with a two-story foyer decreased in 2021. For 2021, most new single-family homes were built without a two-story foyer nationally and regionally. According to...

New home sales rebounded in October despite higher mortgage rates, likely due to low existing home inventory and builders using incentives to attract buyers to the new home market. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau estimated sales of...

The missing middle construction sector includes development of medium-density housing, including townhouses, duplexes and other small multifamily properties. While townhouse construction has trended higher in recent quarters, the multifamily segment of the missing middle (apartments in 2 to 4 unit properties) has disappointed. For 2021,...

According to NAHB analysis of quarterly Census data, the count of multifamily, for-rent housing starts remained elevated during the third quarter of 2022. At 141,000 units started, this was the largest quarter for rental multifamily construction since the second quarter of 1986. The market share...

An expected impact of the virus crisis was a need for more residential space, as people use homes for more purposes including work. During the housing boom after covid, this led to a rise for new single-family home size. However, as the housing market weakens...

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