National Association of Home Builders Economic Research Blog

Mortgage Activity Flat in June, ARM Share Decreases
Mortgage Activity Flat in June, ARM Share Decreases
Posted on
Mortgage applications stalled in June as higher mortgage rates dampened market activity. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, stayed relatively unchanged ...
Characteristics of Homes in Age-Restricted Communities 
Characteristics of Homes in Age-Restricted Communities 
Posted on
In 2025, approximately 47,000 homes were built in age-restricted communities, representing 3.45% of all housing starts. According to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction, roughly two-thirds of these homes (30,000) were single-family units, while the remaining 17,000 were multifamily units.  In 2009, during ...
Residential Construction Employment Concentrated in Rural and Smaller-Market Counties
Residential Construction Employment Concentrated in Rural and Smaller-Market Counties
Posted on
Residential construction employment continued to soften in recent months, reflecting elevated interest rates, ongoing affordability challenges, and slower home building activity. Over the last 12 months, residential construction employment has ...
Top Ten Builder Market Share Falls in 2025
Top Ten Builder Market Share Falls in 2025
Posted on
The top ten builders accounted for 43.6% of all new U.S. single-family home closings in 2025, down 1.2 percentage points from 2024 (44.8%), based on BUILDER magazine data. The 2025 ...
Mortgage Rates Increased in June as Markets Weigh Inflation and Fed Policy
Mortgage Rates Increased in June as Markets Weigh Inflation and Fed Policy
Posted on
Mortgage rates continued to increase in June as markets priced in a rate hike due to high inflation and stronger-than-expected labor market. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage ...
U.S. Economy Adds 57,000 Jobs in June
U.S. Economy Adds 57,000 Jobs in June
Posted on
The U.S. labor market lost momentum in June, with total nonfarm payroll employment rising by just 57,000, the smallest gain since February’s outright decline. Downward revisions to April and May ...
Residential Construction Spending Increases in May Due to Remodeling
Residential Construction Spending Increases in May Due to Remodeling
Posted on
Private residential construction spending rose modestly in May 2026, marking the third consecutive month of gains, albeit at a slower pace. According to the latest construction spending data from the ...
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

NAHB regularly conducts national polls of American adults and home buyers in order to understand new trends and preferences in the housing market. This is the fifth in a series of posts highlighting poll results, as presented during the 2018 International Builders’ Show in Orlando,...

NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing published by the Census Bureau reveals that cash sales accounted for 11,000 new home sales in the fourth quarter of 2017. Cash purchases also accounted for 11,000 new home sales in Q2 2017,...

From the trough of the housing downturn in 2010 through 2015, the number of homes under construction increased by 131 percent and the number of employees working in construction trade businesses increased by 18 percent.  Over that span, how much would you guess the number of...

Prices paid for OSB (-13.0%), softwood lumber (-1.0%), and inputs to residential construction (-0.1%), all decreased in December, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index for gypsum products advanced (+1.6%). Over the course of 2017,...

Prices paid for inputs to residential construction (+0.7%), softwood lumber (+2.3%), gypsum products (0.4%), and OSB (+15.3%) all increased in November, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since January 2017, the price paid for every major...

The price of OSB fell 1.0% in October, in contrast to prices paid for softwood lumber (+2.3%), gypsum products (+0.3%) and ready-mix concrete (+0.2%), which all increased. In addition, the price index measuring inputs to residential construction rose 0.1% in October, according to the latest...

The residential sector accounts for less than 8 percent of water used in the U.S., according to a recent study published by NAHB. The recent NAHB study draws on information published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS compiles data on water use every...

The 2016 American Community Survey data shows that New Jersey still leads the nation with the highest average annual real estate tax (RET) bill of $8,374—$7,707 more than RETs paid by Alabama’s homeowners. The difference between the highest-taxed state (New Jersey) and lowest (Alabama) grew...

The softwood lumber trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada has sent prices significantly higher in the first seven months of 2017. The Random Lengths Composite Price—a weighted-average measure consisting of multiple species and dimensions of softwood lumber products—increased 14% over just three weeks in...

Specialty contractors structured as partnerships generated aggregate net income of $4.5 billion in 2014, according to the most recent IRS data available.[1] These data are broken out by industry and income tax deductions, allowing us to compare the use of tax deductions by partnerships across...

In a prior recent post we discussed NAHB research showing how during the first year after closing on a home sale, home buyers tend to spend considerably more money on furnishings, appliances and remodeling compared to non-moving owners. Buyers of new homes spend most, outspending...

Using the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), NAHB Economics research shows that a home purchase triggers additional spending on appliances, furnishings, and remodeling. NAHB’s most recent estimates are based on the 2012-2014 data and show that during the...

NAHB conducted a national poll of young adults ages 18 to 25 to find out how this age group feels about a career in the construction trades. The majority of young adults (74%) say they know the field in which they want to have a...

In 2005, Congress established a number of energy-efficiency tax incentives related to housing that benefitted new home buyers and remodeling homeowners. These policies included the tax code section 45L credit for the construction of energy-efficient homes (including for-rent residences and low-rise apartments), the 25C credit...

In June 2016, House Republicans introduced the outline of a tax reform proposal (a.k.a. the blueprint). The blueprint includes significant changes to how business income would be taxed. In particular, corporate taxation would move toward a cash-flow tax (CFT). In their most basic form, CFTs...

The price of lumber, from framing to structural panels, has increased in recent weeks with some prices rising more than 30%. Softwood lumber prices have been relatively steady since 2014. During this period, the largest one-week price increase of framing lumber (+6.8%), as measured by...

The 2016 top ten publicly-traded builders captured a 27.4% share of new single-family home closings, up from 27.1% in 2015. The 27.4% share in 2016 is out of the 559,000 new home sales reported by the Census Bureau. However, this count represents a smaller share...

The prices of ready-mix concrete, gypsum, and softwood lumber fell 0.2%, 3.5%, and 0.1%, respectively, in January according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. OSB prices ticked up 1.8%, reversing the 1.3% price decline in December. Long-term...

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Email Frequency