Single-Family Home Builders NAICS 236115

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Industry Summary
The 59,300 single-family home construction service providers in the US oversee the entire construction of new single-family detached houses, townhouses, and row houses. The industry includes general contractors and design-build firms. Firms do not own the land they are building upon.
Variable Material and Labor Costs
The cost of construction materials and labor can vary significantly and affect profitability for new home builders.
Dependence on Subcontractors
New home construction is highly dependent on subcontractors, with most firms directly employing a limited number of workers to oversee subcontracting activity.
Recent Developments
Aug 9, 2025 - Existing Home Prices Exceed New Home Prices
- According to data from the US Census Bureau and the National Association of Realtors, the US median price for an existing home was higher than the median price for a new home in the second quarter of 2025. In Q2 2025, the median price for a new home was $410,800, or $18,600 less than the median price for an existing home ($429,400). Buyers typically pay a premium to purchase a new home. Between 2010 and 2019, new homes were, on average, $66,000 more expensive than existing homes. However, the price gap has been narrowing over the past five years, with average new home prices dropping to $24,800 above the average existing home price. Homeowners with low interest rates have been reluctant to sell, pinching inventories. Meanwhile, builders have focused on affordability by building on smaller lots, reducing home sizes, and offering incentives.
- Most single-family homebuilders have yet to leverage artificial intelligence, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Among 12 categories of AI use, there was significant adoption in just two. One-fifth of builders surveyed said they used AI to generate advertising and marketing materials, and 11% use AI to help analyze markets and plan projects. Other uses, including project design, safety monitoring, managing production and scheduling subcontractors, and permitting had use rates of 3% or less. Builders not using AI were asked to rate which uses they were most likely to adopt in the next two years using a scale of 1 (not at all likely) to 5 (very likely). Generating advertising and marketing materials, and help analyzing markets and plan projects had the highest likelihood ratings – 3.6 and 3.0, respectively. The other 10 AI uses had likelihood ratings of 3.0 or less.
- Single-family housing starts decreased 4.6% in June 2025 from May, marking the weakest starts activity since June 2024, according to the US Census Bureau. Permitting activity for single-family housing – an indicator of future homebuilding activity – rose 0.2% in June compared to the month before. High interest rates, economic uncertainty, and an oversupply of unsold new homes are weighing on the US homebuilding market, according to Reuters. The inventory of new homes waiting to be sold is the highest since 2007. Some economists suggest that lower interest rates would be a lifeline for the sluggish housing market, but the Federal Reserve is concerned that lowering rates could exacerbate the inflationary effects of the Trump administration’s tariff policies.
- North American construction and engineering spending in 2025 for the single-family market is expected to grow by 1% after increasing an estimated 2% in 2024, according to FMI’s third-quarter 2025 North American Engineering and Construction Outlook. Mortgage rates are expected to remain in the 6% to 7% range through 2026, and stricter immigration policies and tariffs on construction materials are projected to increase construction costs. Home-price-to-income ratios are at all-time highs and are expected to rise further, exacerbating affordability issues.
Industry Revenue
Single-Family Home Builders

Industry Structure
Industry size & Structure
The average single-family home construction services provider operates out of a single location, employs 6 workers, and generates about $2.4 million annually.
- The single-family home construction services industry consists of about 59,300 firms that employ over 381,400 workers and generate almost $139.9 billion annually.
- The industry is highly fragmented; the top 50 companies account for less than 15% of industry revenue. Most firms serve a limited geographical area.
- About half of firms generate less than $1 million annually and 40.9% generate less than $500,000 annually.
Industry Forecast
Industry Forecast
Single-Family Home Builders Industry Growth

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