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Use of Private Water and Sewer Systems in New Single-Family Homes

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The share of new single-family homes built with individual septic systems declined slightly in 2024 compared to the previous year, while the share of homes served by private wells remained steady. According to NAHB’s analysis of the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), approximately 16% relied on individual septic systems, and 9% of new single-family homes started in 2024 were served by private wells.

Nationally, the majority of new homes were connected to public water systems – including community or shared supplies/wells – while 9% were built with private wells. This national share held steady from the previous year, though regional differences were notable. In New England, where median lot sizes are more than three times the national average, 37% of new single-family homes relied on private wells, making it the division with the highest rate in the nation. The East North Central division followed with 27%, while the Middle Atlantic stood at 13%. The South Atlantic region also exceeded the national average, with 11% of new homes using private wells. In stark contrast, private wells were uncommon in the East South Central and West South Central divisions, each accounting for just 1% of new homes started.

For sewage disposal, 84% of new single-family homes in 2024 were connected to public sewer systems, which include community or shared sewage/septic systems. The remaining 16% utilized individual septic systems, down slightly from 17% in the previous year. As with water sources, the usage of septic systems varied significantly by region.

New England led the nation with 49% of new homes using individual septic systems. The East North Central (28%), East South Central (25%), and South Atlantic (22%) divisions also reported shares above the national average. In contrast, lower usage was recorded in the Mountain (9%) and West North Central (8%) divisions, while the Pacific and West South Central divisions had the smallest shares, at 7% and 5%, respectively.

Compared to 2023, seven of the nine Census divisions experienced a decline in the use of individual septic systems with five of the divisions falling below the national average. New England and East North Central were the exceptions, recording increases of 11- and 5-percentage points, respectively, bringing their shares to 49% and 28% in 2024. However, these gains are not anomalies. In New England, the share had dipped to 38% in 2023, down from 46% in 2022. Similarly, East North Central’s share decreased from 27% in 2022 to 23% in 2023.    

Zooming out, the share of new homes built with individual septic systems has generally been on a decline across most regions since 2010. This trend has been slightly more pronounced in the three divisions (New England, East South Central and East North Central) with historically higher usage. The South Atlantic division stands out as an exception. While its share ranged from 13% to 17% in the early 2010s, it has steadily increased in recent years, and now exceeds 20%.

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Sales of Lower-Priced New Single-Family Homes Declined Over the Past Five Years

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From 2020 to 2024, sales of lower-priced new homes declined significantly as the market moved toward higher-priced segments. Rising construction costs—driven by inflation, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages—as well as higher regulatory costs, made it increasingly difficult for builders to construct affordable homes. On the other hand, low levels of inventory pushed up the price of new single-family homes, deepening the housing affordability crisis for first-time and middle-income buyers.

National New Home Sales by Sales Price

Data from the U.S. Census’s Survey of Construction (SOC) shows that total sales of new single-family homes declined by 17% during the 2020—2024 period. Meanwhile, the median sales price of new single-family homes increased significantly, rising from $330,900 in 2020 to $420,300 in 2024. This steep rise in sales price has placed additional pressure on prospective home buyers, particularly those seeking homes in the lower-priced segments.

Between 2020 and 2024, the market for new single-family homes experienced significant shifts in the distribution of sales by price range. Most notably, there was a sharp decline in sales of lower-priced homes. Homes priced under $300,000 experienced a 65% decline in sales, while sales of homes priced between $300,000 and $399,999 fell by 10%. In contrast, higher-end segments saw substantial growth, with sales of homes priced between $800,000 and $999,999 more than doubling and those priced at $1,000,000 or more increasing by 85%.

The market share of lower-priced homes declined dramatically. In 2020, homes priced under $300,000 accounted for 40% of the total new single-family home sales, making them a dominant category. By 2024, this category had dropped to the third largest, overtaken by homes in the $300,000—$399,999 and $400,000—$499,999 ranges. Meanwhile, the share of higher-priced homes expanded, reflecting a broader shift toward more expensive construction and away from affordability.

Regional New Home Sales by Sales Price

The regional picture mirrors these national trends, though the magnitude and affected price category vary by geography. Between 2020 and 2024, all four regions—the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West—saw declines in new home sales. The West experienced the steepest drop at 28%, followed by the Midwest at 14%, the South at 13%, and the Northeast at 8%. The declines mainly reflect significant declines in lower-priced home sales.

In the Midwest and South, the declines in new home sales were limited to homes priced under $300,000. In the Northeast and West, where the regions tend to have higher median home prices, sales declines occurred in multiple price categories. The Northeast saw a broader decline in new homes sold under $600,000, while new home sales in the West reported declines in three price categories under $500,000.

Furthermore, all four regions also experienced a decline in the market share of lower-priced homes. In 2020, more than half of the new homes sold in the Midwest and South were priced under $300,000. By 2024, that share had plummeted to just 16% in the Midwest and 23% in the South. The Northeast and West also saw notable shifts, with the share of homes priced between $300,000 and $499,999 dropping sharply over the same period.

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Single-Family Starts Weaken in June as Affordability Challenges Persist

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Single-family housing starts declined in June to the lowest rate since July 2024 as elevated interest rates, rising inventories and ongoing supply-side issues continue to act as headwinds for the housing sector.

Due to a solid increase in multifamily production, overall housing starts increased 4.6% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.32 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The June reading of 1.32 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 decreased 4.6% to an 883,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate and are down 10% compared to June 2024. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, increased 30% to an annualized 438,000 pace.

Single-family building conditions continued to weaken in June as housing affordability challenges caused builder traffic to move lower as buyers moved to the sidelines. Rising levels of resale inventory are also a headwind for the industry.

Single-family home building in the South is down 12.4% on a year-to-date basis, far outpacing declines in the Northeast and the West. However, single-family home building is up 10% on a year-to-date basis in the Midwest, where housing affordability conditions are generally better than much of the nation.

On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 28.8% higher in the Northeast, 13.1% higher in the Midwest, 8.1% lower in the South and 0.6% lower in the West.

Overall permits increased 0.2% to a 1.40-million-unit annualized rate in June. Single-family permits decreased 3.7% to an 866,000-unit rate and are down 8.4% compared to June 2024. Multifamily permits increased 7.3% to a 531,000 pace.

Looking at regional permit data on a year-to-date basis, permits were 16.9% lower in the Northeast, 8.2% higher in the Midwest, 3.3% lower in the South and 3.7% lower in the West.

The declines for single-family home building have caused the number of single-family homes under construction to level off. There are currently 622,000 single-family homes under construction, which is 6% lower than a year ago. The number of apartments under construction in June, 739,000, is 18.8% lower than a year ago.

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Residential Remodelers Outnumber Single-family Builders in the U.S.

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The number of residential remodelers in the U.S. has reached a record high of 128,187 establishments, 65% higher than the number of residential builders (single-family and multifamily), which stands at 77,455.  These official government counts were released by the U.S. Census Bureau as part of its 2022 Economic Census, which tallies American businesses every five years (in years ending in 2 and 7).

Growth in the number of remodelers significantly outpaced that of builders between 2017 and 2022. In that 5-year span, the remodeler count increased by 25% (102,818 to 128,187), while the number of builders grew at half that pace–by 12% (68,996 to 77,455).

A starker dichotomy emerges when comparing 2022 counts to those in 2007, prior to the financial crisis and the ensuing housing recession.  In that 15-year period, the official number of residential remodelers in the U.S. grew by 73% (73,888 to 128,187), while the official number of residential builders contracted by 21% (98,067 to 77,455).

Another way to analyze this data is by creating a combined universe of both builders and remodelers and then calculating each group’s share of the total. In 2022, for example, remodelers represented 62% of the total number of builders and remodelers in the U.S, while builders made up a minority share of 38%.  Remodelers have accounted for at least 60% of this total in the last three Economic Census (2012, 2017, and 2022). 

The last time builders comprised a majority share was in 2007, when they represented 57% of the combined total number of builders and remodelers in the country.

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2024 New Single-Family Starts by Census Division

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Despite persistently high mortgage rates, elevated financing costs for builders, and a shortage of buildable lots, single-family starts rebounded in 2024, following two straight years of declines. According to the National Association of Home Builders’ analysis of the 2024 Survey of Construction (SOC), a total of 1,009,315 new single-family units started construction nationwide. This is a 7% increase compared to 2023.

Among the nine Census divisions, the South Atlantic division led the nation with 344,313 starts in 2024, representing a 34% share. The second highest was the West South Central division at 187,690 starts, followed by the Mountain division with 125,911 starts. Collectively, these three divisions, covering 20 states and Washington, D.C., and representing approximately 41% of the United States, accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total new single-family housing starts in 2024.

Meanwhile, there were 99,166 new single-family units started in the Pacific division (10% of total starts) and 81,106 in the East North Central division (8%) in 2024. The other four divisions, including East South Central, West North Central, Middle Atlantic, and New England, accounted for the remaining 17% of the total new single-family housing starts.

In 2024, seven out of nine divisions experienced year-over-year growth in single-family starts. The Middle Atlantic division had the strongest performance among all regions, posting a 22% annual increase. In addition, five out of nine divisions surpassed the U.S. growth rate of 7%. Conversely, both the East South Central and West South Central divisions recorded declines in single-family housing starts.

Compared to the previous year, the New England and West South Central divisions experienced a deceleration in growth, while the East South Central division marked its second consecutive year of decreases. In contrast, the remaining six divisions reported an acceleration in growth. Despite regional disparities, the overall national trend in 2024 reflected a resilient housing market, even in the face of ongoing economic and supply-side challenges.

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Single-family Construction Loan Volume Grows

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Credit conditions for builders and developers eased in the first quarter of 2025 as the level of outstanding 1-4 family residential construction loans rose for the first time in two years, according to data released by FDIC. While the volume of 1-4 family residential construction loans rose, a drop in other real estate development loans offset the increase, resulting in the fifth straight quarterly decline in the total volume of outstanding acquisition, development, and construction loans.

In the first quarter of 2025, the total level of outstanding acquisition, development, and construction loans fell to $478.3 billion, down 4.1% from a year ago. This was driven by the drop in other real estate development loans, which fell to $388.2 billion, down 3.8% compared to the a year ago. The volume of 1-4 family residential construction and land development loans totaled $90.0 billion in the first quarter, down 5.2% from a year ago. On a quarterly basis, this volume is up 0.6% from $89.5 billion one quarter ago.

It is worth noting, the FDIC data represent only the stock of loans, not changes in the underlying flows, so it is an imperfect data source. Nonetheless, lending remains much reduced from years past. The current amount of existing 1-4 family residential AD&C loans now stands 56% lower than the peak level of residential construction lending of $204 billion reached during the first quarter of 2008. Alternative sources of financing, including equity partners, have supplemented this capital market in recent years.

Quality Metrics of Construction Loans

Along with the volume increase of 1-4 family residential construction loans, the share of the volume that is 30+ days past due or nonaccrual status grew in the first quarter. The total level of past due and nonaccrual loans was $1.2 billion, up 24.4% from $978.4 million a year ago. As a share of the total 1-4 family residential construction loan volume, this accounts for only 1.4% but is notably the highest share since 2015.

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Single-Family Home Size Trending Higher

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An expected impact of the virus crisis was a need for more residential space, as people used homes for more purposes including work. Home size correspondingly increased in 2021 as interest rates reached historic lows. However, as interest rates increased in 2022 and 2023, and housing affordability worsened, the demand for home size has trended lower.

According to first quarter 2025 data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, median single-family square floor area was 2,190 square feet, near the highest reading since mid-2023. Average (mean) square footage for new single-family homes registered at 2,408 square feet.

The average size of a new single-family home, on a one-year moving average basis, trended higher to 2,386 square feet, while the median size is at 2,172 square feet.

Home size increased from 2009 to 2015 as entry-level new construction lost market share. Home size declined between 2016 and 2020 as more starter homes were developed. After a brief increase during the post-COVID building boom, home size has trended lower due to declining affordability conditions.

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Flat Growth for Single-Family Built-for-Rent

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Single-family built-for-rent construction posted flat growth on a year-over-year basis, as a higher cost of financing crowded out development activity.

According to NAHB’s analysis of data from the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, there were approximately 19,000 single-family built-for-rent (SFBFR) starts during the first quarter of 2025. This is flat relative to the first quarter of 2024. Over the last four quarters, 84,000 such homes began construction, which is a 4% increase compared to the 81,000 estimated SFBFR starts in the four quarters prior to that period.

The SFBFR market is a source of inventory amid challenges over housing affordability and downpayment requirements in the for-sale market, particularly during a period when a growing number of people want more space and a single-family structure. Single-family built-for-rent construction differs in terms of structural characteristics compared to other newly-built single-family homes, particularly with respect to home size. However, investor demand for single-family homes, both existing and new, has cooled with higher interest rates.

Given the relatively small size of this market segment, the quarter-to-quarter movements typically are not statistically significant. The current four-quarter moving average of market share (8%) is nonetheless higher than the historical average of 2.7% (1992-2012).

Importantly, as measured for this analysis, the estimates noted above include only homes built and held by the builder for rental purposes. The estimates exclude homes that are sold to another party for rental purposes, which NAHB estimates may represent another three to five percent of single-family starts based on industry surveys.

The Census data notes an elevated share of single-family homes built as condos (non-fee simple), with this share averaging more than 4% over recent quarters. Some, but certainly not all, of these homes will be used for rental purposes. Additionally, it is theoretically possible some single-family built-for-rent units are being counted in multifamily starts, as a form of “horizontal multifamily,” given these units are often built on a single plat of land. However, spot checks by NAHB with permitting offices indicate no evidence of this data issue occurring.

With the onset of the Great Recession and declines for the homeownership rate, the share of built-for-rent homes increased in the years after the recession. While the market share of SFBFR homes is small, it has clearly expanded. Given affordability challenges in the for-sale market, the SFBFR market will likely retain an elevated market share. However, in the near-term, SFBFR construction is likely to slow until the return on new deals improves.

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Single-Family Starts Down on Economic and Tariff Uncertainty

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Economic uncertainty stemming from tariff issues, elevated mortgage rates and rising building material costs pushed single-family housing starts lower in April.

Overall housing starts increased 1.6% in April 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 April 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 decreased 2.1% to a 927,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate and are down 12.0% compared to April 2024. On a year-to-date basis, single-family starts are down 7.1%. The three-month moving average (a useful gauge given recent volatility) is down to 991,000 units, as charted below.

The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, increased 10.7% to an annualized 434,000 pace. The three-month moving average for multifamily construction has trended upward to a 406,000-unit annual rate. On a year-over-year basis, multifamily construction is up 30.7%.

On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 19.8% higher in the Northeast, 4.4% higher in the Midwest, 3.4% higher in the West , and 7.4% lower in the South.

The total number of single-family homes and apartments under construction was 1.4 million units in April. This is the lowest total since June 2021. Total housing units now under construction are 14.3% lower than a year ago. Single-family units under construction fell to a count of 630,000—down 7.1% compared to a year ago. The number of multifamily units under construction has fallen to 788,000 units. This is down 15.6% compared to a year ago.

On a 3-month moving average basis, there are currently 1.3 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 down 3.4% in 2025 compared to 2024. An elevated pace of completions in 2025 for multifamily construction will place some downward pressure on rent growth.

Overall permits decreased 4.7% to a 1.41-million-unit annualized rate in April. Single-family permits decreased 5.1% to a 922,000-unit rate and are down 6.2% compared to April 2024. Multifamily permits decreased 3.7% to a 490,000 pace but are up 2.9% compared to April 2024.

Looking at regional permit data on a year-to-date basis, permits were 5.1% higher in the Midwest, 3.5% lower in the West, 3.8% lower in the South, and 20.3% lower in the Northeast.

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Single-Family Housing Starts Hit 12-Month High in February

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Limited existing inventory helped single-family starts to post a solid gain in February, but builders are still grappling with elevated construction costs stemming from tariff issues and persistent shortages related to buildable lots and labor.

Overall housing starts increased 11.2% in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.50 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The February reading of 1.50 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 11.4% to a 1.11 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, the highest pace since February 2024. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, increased 10.7% to an annualized 393,000 pace.

While solid demand and a lack of existing inventory provided a boost to single-family production in February, our latest builder survey shows that builders remain concerned about challenging housing affordability conditions, most notably elevated financing and construction costs as well as tariffs on key building materials.

On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 4.7% lower in the Northeast, 21.5% lower in the Midwest, 8.3% lower in the South and 20.2% higher in the West.

Overall permits decreased 1.2% to a 1.46-million-unit annualized rate in February and were down 6.8% compared to February 2024. Single-family permits decreased 0.2% to a 992,000-unit rate and were down 3.4% compared to the previous year. Multifamily permits decreased 3.1% to a 464,000 pace.

Looking at regional permit data on a year-to-date basis, permits were 30.1% lower in the Northeast, 2.3% higher in the Midwest, 2.1% lower in the South and 12.5% lower in the West.

The number of single-family homes under construction in February was down 6.7% from a year ago, at 640,000 homes. In February, the count of apartments under construction increased 0.3% to an annualized 772,000 pace. It marks the first gain after 18 months of consecutive declines but was still down 20% from a year ago.

There were 526,000 multifamily completions in February, down 15% from the previous year. For each apartment starting construction, there are 1.5 apartments completing the construction process.

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