Profile of the Typical Single-Family Builder

The annual member census conducted by NAHB allows the association to track the characteristics and composition of its members in general, but also to create detailed profiles of particular types of members, such as single-family builders.  The latest census shows that in 2011, NAHB’s typical single-family builder started 23 housing units, employed 9.5 people (5.3 construction and 4.2 non-construction workers), and earned about $1.6 million in revenue.

The 2011 census further shows that the number of builder members whose primary business is single-family building fell to an estimated 24,159, down 12 percent from 2010 and 53 percent since 2008.  This decline directly reflects the profound downturn seen in single-family home construction over the last few years, a period that saw single-family housing starts decline by 75 percent between 2005 and 2011.  It is important to note, however, that the pace of decline in single-family builder members continues to moderate: from 30 percent in 2009, to 13 percent in 2010 and 12 percent in 2011.

	2008	2009	2010	2011
Number of Single-Family Builders	45,198	31,630	27,512	24,159

 

The census also collects demographic information about single-family builder members.  For example, in 2011, 94 percent of them were male, their median age was 53 years, and their average tenure at NAHB was 15 years.  In addition, 53 percent had a college or graduate degree, 29 percent had some college education, and 18 percent had a high school diploma or less.  About 18 percent reported building age-restricted housing for people 55 and older. 

 

2011
Avg. # of Employees	9.5		Male	94%
Avg. # of Starts   (19 single-family &  4 multifamily)	23		Female	6%
Median Revenue	$1,560,617		College/Graduate Degree	53%
% Building for 55+	18%		Some College	29%
Median Age	53		Average NAHB Tenure (years)	15