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Inflation slowed to 3.5% in June 2026 from 4.2% in May, driven primarily by a mid-June ceasefire agreement that stabilized oil markets and reduced energy prices, with gasoline prices falling 9.7% and the shelter index posting its smallest monthly increase since January 2021. The document notes that the relief was short-lived as the ceasefire collapsed in early July, pushing oil prices up 12% and renewing inflation concerns, while core CPI excluding food and energy rose 2.6% year-over-year in June.
The share of new single-family homes with two or more stories declined from 52.5% in 2024 to 51.4% in 2025 according to Census Bureau data, while single-story homes rose from 47.5% to 48.6%. Regional variations showed the Midwest and South favoring single-story construction while the Northeast and West maintained higher shares of multi-story homes, with three-or-more-story homes comprising 5.2% of new homes nationally in 2025.
According to NAHB analysis of the 2025 Survey of Construction, new single-family housing starts nationwide totaled 939,182 units, representing a 6.9% decline compared to 2024, with the South Atlantic division leading at 308,189 starts followed by West South Central at 171,247 starts. Only three of nine Census divisions posted year-over-year growth—East South Central rising 13.7%, East North Central up 8.0%, and Middle Atlantic up 4.0%—while the remaining six divisions declined, with New England experiencing the steepest drop at 26.3%.
In the second quarter of 2026, the NAHB Remodeling Market Index posted a reading of 61, down one point from the previous quarter, with the Current Conditions Index averaging 70 and the Future Indicators Index averaging 52. Remodelers reported strong sentiment supported by homeowners' record real estate asset gains and mortgage rate incentives to remodel rather than purchase, though 74% of remodelers noted suppliers increased material prices by an average of 6.7% since March due to higher fuel costs and economic uncertainty.
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