National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Cost of Materials Rises, Especially for Smaller Builders
Cost of Materials Rises, Especially for Smaller Builders
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Material costs increased by 6.7% over the previous year, according to results from the survey for the July 2026 NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). A large majority (72.9%) of ...
State-Level Employment Situation: July 2026
State-Level Employment Situation: July 2026
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The labor market continued to lose momentum in July, with total nonfarm payroll employment declining nationally and employment gains becoming more limited across states. While overall employment fell by 23,000 ...
Second Quarter Declines for Single-Family Built-to-Rent
Second Quarter Declines for Single-Family Built-to-Rent
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Single-family built-for-rent (SFBFR, or built-to-rent (BTR)) construction fell back in the second quarter of 2026, as a higher cost of financing, increased multifamily supply and policy concerns over Congressional legislation ...
Housing Affordability Worsens on Higher Mortgage Rates
Housing Affordability Worsens on Higher Mortgage Rates
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After three consecutive quarters of modest improvement, housing affordability worsened in the second quarter as higher mortgage rates, rising construction costs and economic uncertainty weighed on the market, according to ...
Short-Term Townhouse Construction Weakness
Short-Term Townhouse Construction Weakness
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Second quarter 2026 data reveal softer conditions for townhouse construction as housing affordability challenges affect homebuyer demand, particularly in larger metropolitan markets. According to NAHB analysis of the most recent ...
Flat Conditions for Custom Home Building
Flat Conditions for Custom Home Building
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With overall single-family construction down almost 7% for the first seven months of 2026, custom home building has been a relative bright spot for the residential construction industry. The custom ...
Housing Starts Retreat on Market Headwinds
Housing Starts Retreat on Market Headwinds
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Housing starts fell in July as economic uncertainty, rising construction costs, labor shortages and elevated financing expenses continued to challenge builders. Overall housing starts decreased 12.4% in July to a ...
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Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased in 40 states and the District of Columbia in the second quarter of 2022 while ten states saw modest GDP growth. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the percent change in real GDP ranged from 1.8...

A majority of new homes that completed construction in 2021 included two-car garages (67%), according to NAHB analysis of 2021 Census Bureau Survey of Construction data. There is clear uniformity for parking options in new homes completed across the Census divisions: the 2-car garage was...

NAHB analysis of the Survey of Construction (SOC) shows that 67% of all new single-family homes started in 2021 were built on slab foundations, followed by 21% of homes built with a full/partial basement and 11% of homes built with a crawl space. As home...

The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy fell 10% in August, declining from almost 11.2 million to 10.05 million. The decline for open jobs reflects the beginnings of a labor market retreat as the economy slows due to aggressive tightening of monetary...

Private residential construction spending declined 0.9% in August, as single-family construction spending slid amid surging mortgage rates. Private residential construction spending declined for the third consecutive month, standing at an annual pace of $921.9 billion, according to NAHB’s analysis of the Census Construction Spending data....

The business of the typical NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) builder grew significantly between 2020 and 2021, according to results from NAHB’s latest member census. The 2021 NAHB census shows that the median gross revenue of an NAHB builder in 2021 was $3.3 million,...

The Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) provides valuable information on the characteristics of new homes started construction, such as air conditioning and heating system installations. Air Conditioning In 2021, 97 percent of new single-family homes started had a central AC system, higher than 95.4...

According to NAHB Economics analysis of the Survey of Construction (SOC) data, almost 9% of new single-family homes started in 2021 are served by individual wells and 16% have private septic systems. These shares, however, vary widely across the nine Census divisions with the corresponding...

Consumer confidence increased for the second straight month to the highest level since April, as solid job gains, declining gas prices and easing inflation contributed to more optimistic views of economy. However, spending plans were mixed. The purchasing intention to buy cars and major appliances...

A brief decline in mortgage rates helped to boost new home sales in August but sales are expected to move lower in the months ahead as rates have since moved higher and builder sentiment continues to fall due to declining housing affordability and ongoing supply...

The share of homes built with patios hit a record high in 2021. Of the roughly 1.1 million single-family homes started in 2021, 63 percent came with patios. This number comes from NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (conducted by the U.S....

While the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered many social and economic disruptions, it has also changed working arrangements and has accelerated the shift to work from home (WFH). During the COVID-19 outbreak in the early of 2020, many businesses across the United States closed and millions...

The latest results from the Federal Reserve’s Z.1 Financial Accounts of the United States, i.e., the Flow of Funds, show that in the second quarter of 2022, growth of the market value of all owner-occupied real estate in the United States slowed after showed the...

Continuing its tightening of financial conditions to bring the rate of inflation lower, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee raised the federal funds target rate by 75 basis points, increasing that target to an upper bound of 3.25%. This marks the third consecutive meeting with...

As elevated mortgage rates and higher home prices continue to price out homebuyers and reduce affordability, existing home sales declined for seven consecutive months in August, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). All four regions saw double-digit declines for sales from a year...

In August, housing starts rebounded but housing permits declined for the second straight month. The August drop in building permits indicates that the housing market is continues to cool as rising construction costs, elevated mortgage rates and supply chain disruptions continue to act as a...

In another sign that the slowdown in the housing market continues, builder sentiment fell for the ninth straight month in September as the combination of elevated interest rates, persistent building material supply chain disruptions and high home prices continue to take a toll on affordability....

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 37 states in August compared to the previous month while 13 states and the District of Columbia lost jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 315,000 in August, following a gain of...

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