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In 2023, the most common number of bedrooms in newly-built single-family homes continued to be three at a 45.7% share.  This share is up almost three percentage points from 42.8% in 2022. The second highest share was single-family homes with four bedrooms at 33.1%, followed by homes with two bedrooms or less at 11.5% and then homes with five or more bedrooms at 9.7%.

As shown above, the share of single-family homes started with three bedrooms rose to its highest level since 2019. While this share rose, the second most frequently built number of bedrooms (four) fell to 33.1%, the lowest share for such homes since 2012. At the same time, the share of new single-family homes with 2 bedrooms or less reached its highest level since 2012. The share of homes with five bedrooms or more has remained fairly stagnant at around 10% over the past ten years.

Regions

Across U.S. Census divisions, the share of new single-family homes with four or more bedrooms features distinct variations. The share ranged from a low of 22.0% in the New England division to the highest share of 47.9% in the West South Central division. Coinciding with the fall in the share of new single-family homes with 4 bedrooms or more nationally, there are no divisions that have a share above 50%. In 2022, the data featured the South Atlantic (51.7%), Pacific (51.4%) and West South Central (50.6%) all with above 50% shares.

Purpose of Construction

The number of bedrooms in the home greatly varied in 2023 depending on a new single-family home’s purpose of construction (built-for-sale, contractor-built, owner-built, built-for-rent). Most of this variation comes from the two-bedroom or less homes and four-bedrooms homes. For example, the share of new single-family homes with two bedrooms or less ranges from 5.7% of homes built-for-sale to 38.4% of homes built-for-rent. Meanwhile, three-bedroom homes and five or more bedroom homes display relatively little change across purpose of construction, as shown in the chart below.   

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In 2023, 18.8 percent of all new single-family homes started were custom homes. This share decreased from the 20.4 percent recorded in 2022, according to data tabulated from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC). The custom home market consists of contractor-built and owner-built homes—homes built one at a time for owner occupancy on the owner’s land, with either the owner or a builder acting as a general contractor. The alternatives are homes built-for-sale (on the builder’s land, often in subdivisions, with the intention of selling the house and land in one transaction) and homes built-for-rent.   

In 2023, 71.5 percent of the single-family homes started were built-for-sale, and 9.7 percent were built-for-rent. At an 18.9 percent share, the number of custom homes started in 2023 was 177,850, falling from 207,472 in 2022. 

The quarterly published statistics show that the custom home share of single-family starts showed gains in the second quarter of 2024 after some recent slowing. Although the quarterly statistics are timelier, they lack the geographic detail available in the annual data set.

When analyzed across the 9 census divisions, the annual data show that the highest custom home share in 2023 was 35.5 percent in the East South-Central division. While the lowest share was in the West South-Central division, where the share was only 11.9 percent. The share of custom homes across U.S. divisions are showed in the map below.

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Single-family starts posted a solid gain in August on robust demand and moderating mortgage rates even as builders continue to grapple with challenges related to lot and labor shortages and elevated prices for many building materials.

Overall housing starts increased 9.6% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.36 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The August reading of 1.36 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts increased 15.8% to a 992,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate. On a year-over-year basis, single-family starts are up 5.2% compared to August 2023. On a year-to-date basis, single-family starts are up 10.4%. The three-month moving average (a useful gauge given recent volatility) is down to 944,000 units, as charted below.

The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, decreased 4.2% to an annualized 364,000 pace. The three-month moving average for multifamily construction has trended upward to a 363,000-unit annual rate. On a year-over-year basis, multifamily construction is up 0.6%.

On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts are 1.9% lower in the Midwest, 2.1% lower in the Northeast, 4.4% lower in the West and 4.6% lower in the South.

The total number of single-family homes and apartments under construction was 1.5 million in August. This is the lowest total since November 2021. Total housing units now under construction are 11.1% lower than a year ago. Single-family units under construction fell to a count of 642,000—down 5.2% compared to a year ago. The number of multifamily units under construction has fallen to 867,000 units. This is down 15.0% compared to a year ago.

On a 3-month moving average basis, there are currently 1.8 apartments completing construction for every one that is beginning construction. While apartment construction starts are down, the number of completed units entering the market is rising due to prior elevated construction levels. Year-to-date, the pace of completions for apartments in buildings with five or more units is up 36.7% in 2024 compared to 2023. A higher pace of completions in 2024 for multifamily construction will place some downward pressure on rent growth.

Overall permits increased 4.9% to a 1.48-million-unit annualized rate in August. Single-family permits increased 2.8% to a 967,000 unit rate. Multifamily permits increased 9.2% to an annualized 508,000 pace.

Looking at regional data on a year-to-date basis, permits are 2.1% higher in the Midwest, 0.7% higher in the Northeast, 1.1% lower in the South and 6.2% lower in the West.

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The average length of time to complete construction of a multifamily building after obtaining authorization was 19.9 months in 2023, according to the 2023 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau. The permit-to-completion time inched up 0.1 months in 2023, after an increase of 2.3 months in 2022, as the ongoing skilled labor shortage and supply chain issues were still challenging the industry.

The average time to build multifamily homes varies with the number of units in the building. The more units, the more time required to build. In 2023, buildings with 20 or more units took the longest time,22 months, to build after obtaining authorization. Properties with 10-to-19 units required 21.5 months. However, 2-to-4 unit buildings came in at 18.7 months, which took longer time than 5-to-9 unit buildings (16.9 months).

Compared to 2019, pre-pandemic, only buildings with 5 to 9 units took a similar time to complete. The construction process required 3.3 more months to complete multifamily buildings with 2-to-4 units, 2.8 months more for 10-to-19 unit buildings, and 3 months longer to finish for properties with 20 or more units.

The 2023 SOC data also shows a significant regional variation in the average construction duration of multifamily buildings. The West had the longest time from authorization to completion at 20.9 months, followed by the Northeast at 20.8 months, and then the South with 19.5 months. The shortest permit-to-completion period happened in the Midwest with 17.3 months.

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Over the first seven months of 2024, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 599,308. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is an increase of 13.7% over the July 2023 level of 527,158.

Year-to-date ending in July, single-family permits were up in all four regions. The range of permit increases spanned 18.2% in the West to 9.8% in the Northeast. The Midwest was up by 14.5% and the South was up by 12.4% in single-family permits during this time. For multifamily permits, three out of the four regions posted declines. The Northeast, driven by New York was the only region to post an increase and was up by 32.0%. Meanwhile, the West posted a decline of 31.2%, the South declined by 22.7%, and the Midwest declined by 9.3%.

Between July 2024 YTD and July 2023 YTD, 47 states and the District of Columbia posted an increase in single-family permits. The range of increases spanned 39.4% in Arizona to 2.1% in Rhode Island. New Hampshire (-0.2%), Hawaii (-2.7%), and Alaska (-10.4%) reported declines in single-family permits. The ten states issuing the highest number of single-family permits combined accounted for 64.0% of the total single-family permits issued. Texas, the state with the highest number of single-family permits, issued 97,551 permits over the first seven months of 2024, which is an increase of 15.6% compared to the same period last year. The succeeding highest state, Florida, was up by 9.5%, while the third highest, North Carolina, posted an increase of 11.8%.

Year-to-date ending in July, the total number of multifamily permits issued nationwide reached 279,618. This is 17.2% below the July 2023 level of 337,730.

Between July 2024 YTD and July 2023 YTD, 18 states recorded growth in multifamily permits, while 32 states and the District of Columbia recorded a decline. New York (+117.4%) led the way with a sharp rise in multifamily permits from 10,110 to 21,981, while the District of Columbia had the biggest decline of 68.7% from 1,969 to 616. The ten states issuing the highest number of multifamily permits combined accounted for 64.7% of the multifamily permits issued. Over the first seven months of 2024, Texas, the state with the highest number of multifamily permits issued, experienced a decline of 30.4%. Following closely, the second-highest state in multifamily permits, Florida, saw a decline of 24.4%. California, the third largest multifamily issuing state, decreased by 27.5%.

At the local level, below are the top ten metro areas that issued the highest number of single-family permits.

For multifamily permits, below are the top ten local areas that issued the highest number of permits.

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Shares of new single-family homes built with private wells and individual septic systems decreased in 2023, compared with the previous year. NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC) indicates approximately 9% of new single-family homes started in 2023 were served by individual wells and 17% had private septic systems. There are large variations for these shares across the nine Census divisions with the corresponding shares reaching 26% and 38% in New England – the highest occurrence rates in the nation.

Nationally, 9% of new single-family homes started in 2023 were served by individual wells, with the majority relying on public water systems, which include community or shared supplies. In New England, where the median lot size is almost 3 times larger than the national average, 26% of new homes used private wells. Private wells were also common in the East North Central division, where nearly 22% of new homes had them. The Middle Atlantic division had the third-highest share at 14%. These divisions, along with the South Atlantic division (13%), surpassed the national average of 9%. Conversely, individual wells were rare in the East South Central and West South Central divisions, accounting for only a 1% share.

For sewage disposal, 82% of new homes were connected to public sewers (including community or shared sewage/septic systems) in 2023, and 17% utilized individual septic systems. The share of individual septic system decreased from 18% in 2022 to 17% in 2023.

The use of individual septic systems varied by division. In New England, 38% of new homes had private septic systems, while the East South Central, South Atlantic, and East North Central divisions reported 30%, 25%, and 23% shares, respectively. These shares, including the Middle Atlantic (18%), were above the national average of 17%. Shares were below average in the Mountain (10%), West North Central (10%), Pacific (8%), and West South Central (6%) divisions.

Compared to the previous year, the proportion of new single-family homes with individual septic systems fell in five out of nine divisions. Notably, New England saw a decrease from 46% in 2022 to 38% in 2023. Meanwhile, the Pacific, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, and East South Central divisions experienced slight increases, ranging from 1% to 2%.

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The total market share of non-site built single-family homes (modular and panelized) was just 3% of single-family homes in 2023, according to completion data from the Census Bureau Survey of Construction data and NAHB analysis. This is a slight increase from the 2% share in 2022. This share has been steadily declining since the early-2000s despite the high-level of interest for non-site built construction. This low market share in fact runs counter to some media commentary on off-site construction suggesting recent gains. Nonetheless, there exists potential for market share gains in the years ahead due to the need to increase productivity in the residential construction sector.

In 2023, there were 27,000 total single-family units built using modular (12,000) and panelized/pre-cut (15,000) construction methods, out of a total of 999,000 single-family homes completed. It is worth noting that the Census definitions of off-site construction are relatively narrow. In a separate survey, the Home Innovation Research Labs Survey of U.S. Home Builders has a higher share for panelized construction (5-12%) due to a wider definition of “panelized” construction.

While the Census-measured market share is small, there exists potential for expansion. This 3% market share for 2023 represents a decline from years prior to the Great Recession. In 1998, 7% of single-family completions were modular (4%) or panelized (3%). This marked the largest share for the 1992-2023 period.

One notable regional concentration is found in the Northeast and Midwest. These two regions tie for the highest market share of homes built using non-site build construction methods. In the Northeast, 5% (4,000 homes) of the region’s 61,000 housing units were completed using non-site built construction methods. At the same time, in the Midwest, 5% market share (6,000 homes) of the region’s 126,000 housing units were completed using non-site build construction methods.

With respect to multifamily construction, approximately 7% of multifamily buildings (properties, not units) were built using modular and panelized methods, marking the highest level in the last two decades. This is significantly higher than the 2% share in 2022 and 1% share in 2018-2021. It is notable that modular construction methods accounted for 5% of this share, whereas in previous years it was only panelized construction methods that made up the small share of non-site build methods in multifamily construction.  Prior to last year, the highest levels of modular and panelized methods share in multifamily construction was in 2000 and 2011, where 5% of multifamily buildings were constructed with modular (1%) or panelized construction methods (4%).

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In 2023, the majority of homes started featured laundry connections on the first floor (72%), according to the Census’s Survey of Construction. Laundry located on the second floor or higher was the second most prevalent at 26%. The basement, garage, and other locations all had a 1% or lower share.  

In NAHB’s What Home Buyer’s Really Want, home buyers are surveyed on where they would like their laundry located. While the first floor remained the most desired location for laundry at 60%, preferences diverged significantly for other locations. The basement was the second most popular choice at 17%, followed by the garage at 15%, and only 7% for the second floor or higher. 

This comparison highlights a disconnect between what builders are offering and what buyers are seeking. While builders are largely opting for laundry connections on the first or second floor, a notable portion of buyers prefer the basement or garage. This variance is shown in the chart below.

There are also regional differences in where laundry is placed. The first floor was the most prevalent across every division but ranged from 91% in West South Central to 59% in the South Atlantic. Second-floor laundry was highest in the Pacific division at 43% but was lowest in the West South Central at 8%.  

The West North Central had a 13% share of homes with the laundry room in the basement, the only division with a share above 5%; They are also the only division with most homes having a full or partial basement. No regions had over a 2% share of laundry located in the garage. 

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NAHB’s featured topic for the second quarter HBGI reveals that 17.5% of single-family and 8.6% of multifamily construction takes place in second home areas. Recent NAHB analysis found that the total count of second homes across the US was 6.5 million, which accounts for 4.6% of the total housing stock. For this analysis, a second home area is a county that has a second home share greater than 10.3% of the county’s total housing stock (these counties fall within the 75th and above percentile of the second home stock share distribution).  There are 788 counties that are considered a second home area based on this definition.

Single-family

Single-family permit data shows that the market share for construction in second home areas has grown by over four percentage points in the past nine years. The earliest data, which is the fourth quarter of 2015, shows that second home areas had a market share of 13.2%. As of the second quarter of 2024, the market share for this geography increased to 17.5%. However, this latest reading is down from a peak of 18.3% in the first quarter of 2023.  

The peak growth rate in construction for second homes areas was at 38.5% in the third quarter of 2021. The first recorded decline in the growth rate occurred in the third quarter of 2022. This downward growth rate was followed by five quarters of declines until the first quarter of 2024.   Second home areas have averaged a growth rate of 9.1% between the fourth quarter of 2015 and the second quarter of 2024, while non-second home areas averaged single-family a growth rate of 5.1% over the same period.  

Multifamily

Although smaller, the market share for second home areas has also grown for multifamily construction. The market share was 5.5% in the fourth quarter of 2015 and is now 8.6%, a 3.1 percentage point increase. This increase in market share has been more volatile than single-family, as growth in construction has not been as consistent for multifamily in second home areas. 

There have been three periods where construction growth for multifamily experienced declines in these areas, such as in 2017 and early 2021. The third period of decline is ongoing, as there have been two consecutive quarters where the growth rate has been negative to start 2024. The latest growth rate is a11.8% decline. This is down from a peak of 53.1% in the third quarter of 2022, as multifamily construction has slowed nationwide. 

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Today’s jobs report and the newly released preliminary estimate of the benchmark revision indicate that the U.S. labor market is slowing from its overheated state in 2021 and 2022 but remains stable. Among all sectors, construction led the August job gains, adding 34,000 jobs to payrolls.

Additionally, wage growth accelerated in August. Wages grew at a 3.8% year-over-year (YOY) growth rate, down 0.7 percentage points from a year ago. Wage growth is outpacing inflation, which typically occurs as productivity increases.

National Employment

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 142,000 in August, following a downwardly revised increase of 89,000 jobs in July, as reported in the Employment Situation Summary. The estimates for the previous two months were revised lower. The monthly change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised down by 61,000, from +179,000 to +118,000, while the change for July was revised down by 25,000 from +114,000 to +89,000. Combined, the revisions were 86,000 lower than the original estimates.

Despite restrictive monetary policy, about 7.9 million jobs have been created since March 2022, when the Fed enacted the first interest rate hike of this cycle. In the first eight months of 2024, 1,475,000 jobs were created. Additionally, monthly employment growth averaged 184,000 per month, compared with the 251,000 monthly average gain for 2023.

In August, the unemployment rate eased slightly to 4.2%, from 4.3% in July. The August decrease in the unemployment rate reflected the decrease in the number of persons unemployed (-48,000) and the increase in the number of persons employed (+168,000).

Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate—the proportion of the population either looking for a job or already holding a job—remained at 62.7%. However, for people aged between 25 and 54, the participation rate dipped slightly to 83.9%. This rate exceeds the pre-pandemic level of 83.1%. Meanwhile, the overall labor force participation rate is still below its pre-pandemic levels when it stood at 63.3% at the beginning of 2020.

For industry sectors, construction (+34,000), health care (+31,000), and social assistance (+13,000) had job gains in August, while manufacturing lost 24,000 jobs. Employment in other major industries showed little change over the month.

Construction Employment

Employment in the overall construction sector in August (+34,000) experienced an increase, from the 13,000 job gains in July. While residential construction gained 5,600 jobs, non-residential construction employment added 28,300 jobs for the month.

Residential construction employment now stands at 3.4 million in August, broken down as 951,000 builders and 2.4 million residential specialty trade contractors. The 6-month moving average of job gains for residential construction was 5,667 a month. Over the last 12 months, home builders and remodelers added 63,100 jobs on a net basis. Since the low point following the Great Recession, residential construction has gained 1,385,000 positions.

In August, the unemployment rate for construction workers declined to 3.9% on a seasonally adjusted basis. The unemployment rate for construction workers has remained at a relatively lower level, after reaching 15.3% in April 2020, due to the housing demand impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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