National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Single-Family Permitting Declines Through August
Single-Family Permitting Declines Through August
Posted on
Single-family permitting activity continued to soften through the first eight months of 2026, while multifamily permitting remained stronger compared with the same period last year. Regional and state-level trends show ...
Research Highlights the Broad Benefits of Homeownership
Research Highlights the Broad Benefits of Homeownership
Posted on
A rich, peer-reviewed academic literature finds that homeownership produces benefits that extend well beyond house-price appreciation. As detailed in a 2003 Journal of Urban Economics literature review, research across economics, ...
Building Material Price Inflation Nears Four Year High
Building Material Price Inflation Nears Four Year High
Posted on
The Producer Price Index for final demand was up 1.3% in September, after rising 0.5% in August. Compared to a year ago, final demand prices were up 6.3%. The price ...
How Old Are Workers in the Construction Trades?
How Old Are Workers in the Construction Trades?
Posted on
A previous post examined the median age of the overall construction workforce and how it compares with workers in all industries. This analysis takes a closer look at workers in ...
Labor Shortages a Growing Problem
Labor Shortages a Growing Problem
Posted on
Labor shortages in the home building industry are becoming more widespread, according to recent results from the NAHB/Well Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) survey. The September 2026 HMI survey asked ...
Inflation Accelerated in September
Inflation Accelerated in September
Posted on
Higher energy prices pushed inflation to a four-month high in September, keeping pressure on the Fed as inflation has remained above its 2% target for more than five years. Gasoline ...
Existing Home Sales Increased in September
Existing Home Sales Increased in September
Posted on
Existing home sales rose after three months of declines as improved inventory gave buyers more negotiating power. As buyers wait for rate relief, homes are sitting on the market longer ...
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

Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending March 3rd, total mortgage activity increased 7.4% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate rose eight basis points to 6.79%. The FRM rate has risen 61 basis points over...

While nationwide single-family housing starts have slowed in the past year, the largest drop on a percentage basis is occurring in the densest counties, due to high housing costs. Meanwhile, multifamily growth was robust throughout much of the nation at the end of 2022, with...

Residential remodeling companies, just like any other private enterprise in a capitalist economy, exist to satisfy the demand of consumers for specific products or services in exchange for a rate of profit commensurate with the risk taken. Companies control when they enter or exit the...

In 2005, Congress established several energy-efficiency tax incentives related to housing that benefit new-home buyers and remodeling homeowners. These policies included the tax code section 25C credit for retrofitting/remodeling existing homes, and the 25D credit for the installation of power production property in new and...

Private residential construction spending declined 0.6% in January, as spending on single-family construction decreased 1.7%. It declined on the eighth month in a row amid elevated mortgage interest rates. Moreover, private residential construction is 3.9% lower compared to a year ago. The monthly decline is...

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

Seasonally adjusted home prices continued to fall in December and have declined for six consecutive months due to high mortgage rates and economic uncertainty. Locally, all 20 metro areas, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices, experienced negative home price appreciation in December. The S&P CoreLogic...

Data from the Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Market Absorptions of New Multifamily Units (SOMA) indicates that the multifamily market continues to have high demand with apartment completions reaching their highest level since the third quarter of 2021. The absorption rate of new condominiums reached...

Declining mortgage rates and home prices in January, coupled with home builders use of sales incentives, helped boost new home sales last month. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau estimated sales of newly built, single-family homes in January...

While the two main confidence indexes for multifamily housing increased slightly in the fourth quarter, they both remain in negative territory, according to results from the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) released today by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The MMS produces two separate...

The missing middle construction sector includes development of medium-density housing, such as 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 fourth quarter of 2022. For the fourth quarter, 133,000 multifamily residences started construction. For 2022 as whole, 525,000 rental apartments started construction. The market share of...

As elevated mortgage rates and tight inventory continue to weaken housing demand, the volume of existing home sales declined for a twelfth consecutive month as of January, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This is the longest run of declines since 1999. While...

An expected impact of the pandemic 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 on...

NAHB’s analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates custom home building gained market share during 2022. There were 44,000 total custom building starts during the fourth quarter of the year. This marks a 10% decline compared...

NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that cash purchases made 11.2% of new home sales in the fourth quarter of 2022—the largest share since 1990. The share of cash purchases has climbed...

According to NAHB analysis of the most recent Census data of Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, during the fourth quarter of 2022, single-family attached starts totaled 37,000, which is 8% lower than the fourth quarter of 2021. Over the course of 2022, townhouse...

After four consecutive declines, the producer price index (PPI) for inputs to residential construction less energy (i.e. building materials) rose 0.9% in January 2023 (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest PPI report. Price growth of goods inputs to residential construction, including energy, gained 1.4%...

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Email Frequency