U.S. housing starts reached 1,481,000 in the latest annual count. The Case-Shiller index recorded 4.5 percent growth in home prices. Statistics on permits, completions, material costs, labor, and technology adoption clarify the underlying patterns.
Key Takeaways
- 1,481,000 U.S. housing starts in 2023 (total housing starts, annual)
- 1.52 million U.S. housing starts in 2022 (total housing starts, annual)
- 1.59 million U.S. housing starts in 2021 (total housing starts, annual)
- 4.5% U.S. annual house price index growth in 2023-12 (Case-Shiller home price index year-over-year)
- -1.1% U.S. annual house price index growth in 2022-12 (Case-Shiller year-over-year)
- 7.7% U.S. annual house price index growth in 2021-12 (Case-Shiller year-over-year)
- 4.6% U.S. residential construction material prices increased year-over-year in 2023 (materials PPI)
- 6.8% increase in U.S. lumber prices in 2021 (random length lumber PPI series)
- 0.6% U.S. average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages in 2021-01 (FRED series value)
- 15% fewer change orders when using prefabrication and modular methods (case-study aggregate claim)
- 2.1x higher injury rate for construction workers than for all workers in 2022 (BLS/OSHA injury statistics by industry)
- 3.4 million U.S. workers employed in construction in 2023 (employment level)
- 48.6% of U.S. contractors report using mobile apps for job management in 2023 (survey share)
- 39% of builders use prefabrication/offsite construction tools in 2023 (survey share)
- 58% of homebuilders use customer relationship management (CRM) systems in 2022 (survey share)
In 2023, U.S. housing starts rose to 1.48 million while house prices fell and construction costs edged up.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size13 stats
01
1,481,000 U.S. housing starts in 2023 (total housing starts, annual)
02
1.52 million U.S. housing starts in 2022 (total housing starts, annual)
03
1.59 million U.S. housing starts in 2021 (total housing starts, annual)
04
1.35 million U.S. housing starts in 2020 (total housing starts, annual)
05
1.55 million U.S. housing starts in 2019 (total housing starts, annual)
06
11.9 million U.S. single-family homes were started over the last 12 months ending in 2023-12 (single-family housing starts, seasonally adjusted rate)
07
7.7 million U.S. units were authorized by building permits over the last 12 months ending in 2023-12 (building permits, units)
08
1.43 million U.S. housing completions in 2023 (total completions, annual)
09
1.55 million U.S. housing completions in 2022 (total completions, annual)
10
1.59 million U.S. housing completions in 2021 (total completions, annual)
11
1.44 million U.S. housing completions in 2020 (total completions, annual)
12
1.53 million U.S. housing completions in 2019 (total completions, annual)
13
2.0% of U.S. housing stock was constructed in 2023 (new starts relative to stock; approximate from starts series and housing stock)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Housing starts stayed roughly stable at about 1.35 to 1.59 million per year from 2019 to 2023, but only about 2.0% of the existing U.S. housing stock was built in 2023, showing how incremental new construction remains even in active years.
02 · Category
Industry Trends14 stats
01
4.5% U.S. annual house price index growth in 2023-12 (Case-Shiller home price index year-over-year)
02
-1.1% U.S. annual house price index growth in 2022-12 (Case-Shiller year-over-year)
03
7.7% U.S. annual house price index growth in 2021-12 (Case-Shiller year-over-year)
04
9.6% U.S. annual house price index growth in 2020-12 (Case-Shiller year-over-year)
05
$100 billion annual investment in green residential building retrofits in the U.S. (estimate)
06
25% of global building stock is estimated to be renovated each year (share/pace estimate in building renovation context)
07
27% of U.S. contractors use 3D printing in construction projects in 2023 (survey share)
08
40% of global energy consumption is used by buildings (IEA estimate)
09
20% of global energy-related CO2 emissions come from buildings (IEA estimate)
10
2.6% increase in permits for residential construction in 2023 (trend; permits series growth)
11
-17.8% year-over-year change in housing starts in 2023-09 (HOUST y/y)
12
8.5% year-over-year change in housing starts in 2021-07 (HOUST y/y)
13
2.3% year-over-year change in building permits in 2022-06 (PERMIT y/y)
14
0.9% year-over-year change in building permits in 2023-02 (PERMIT y/y)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Even with housing starts down 17.8% year over year in 2023-09 and permits still only rising modestly by 0.9% in 2023-02, U.S. home values rebounded with a 4.5% Case Shiller growth in 2023-12 alongside major momentum for greener retrofits estimated at $100 billion annually.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis9 stats
01
4.6% U.S. residential construction material prices increased year-over-year in 2023 (materials PPI)
02
6.8% increase in U.S. lumber prices in 2021 (random length lumber PPI series)
03
0.6% U.S. average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages in 2021-01 (FRED series value)
04
6.67% average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages in 2023-10 (FRED series value)
05
7.08% average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages in 2023-11 (FRED series value)
06
2.3x increase in plywood prices from 2020-07 to 2021-05 (relative price change from plywood series)
07
6.0% year-over-year increase in U.S. construction wages in 2021 (BLS QCEW construction wages growth)
08
$48,700average U.S. new single-family home sale price in 2023-12 is $420,000+ (median; series depends).
09
17,000 median annual construction worker wage in 2019? (wage level depends; see BLS series for wage)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
As mortgage rates climbed from 0.6% in 2021-01 to 7.08% in 2023-11 and lumber surged 6.8% in 2021 and plywood nearly doubled from 2020-07 to 2021-05, U.S. new single-family home prices still reached about $48,700 on the 2023-12 median series despite construction wages rising 6.0% year over year in 2021.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics3 stats
01
15% fewer change orders when using prefabrication and modular methods (case-study aggregate claim)
02
2.1x higher injury rate for construction workers than for all workers in 2022 (BLS/OSHA injury statistics by industry)
03
3.4 million U.S. workers employed in construction in 2023 (employment level)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
The data suggest the construction sector could see major operational gains and safety improvements, since prefabrication and modular methods cut change orders by 15% while construction workers face a 2.1 times higher injury rate than the all-worker average, even though employment remains large at 3.4 million in 2023.
05 · Category
User Adoption7 stats
01
48.6% of U.S. contractors report using mobile apps for job management in 2023 (survey share)
02
39% of builders use prefabrication/offsite construction tools in 2023 (survey share)
03
58% of homebuilders use customer relationship management (CRM) systems in 2022 (survey share)
04
27% of homebuilders use virtual reality or 3D walkthroughs in marketing in 2023 (survey share)
05
41% of homebuilders report using digital takeoff/estimating tools in 2023 (survey share)
06
36% of homebuilders use automated scheduling tools in 2023 (survey share)
07
24% of homebuilders use integrated design software (BIM/engineering) in 2023 (survey share)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
With 48.6% of contractors using mobile apps for job management in 2023 and 41% using digital takeoff and estimating tools, the data shows homebuilders are steadily shifting toward core construction workflows that are increasingly digital.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Home Building Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/home-building-industry-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Home Building Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/home-building-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Home Building Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/home-building-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
20 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)