Residential Construction Input Prices Increase to Start the Year

2025-02-13T11:17:12-06:00

Prices for inputs to new residential construction—excluding capital investment, labor, and imports—were up 1.2% in January according to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Producer Price Index measures prices that domestic producers receive for their goods and services, this differs from the Consumer Price Index which measures what consumers pay and includes both domestic products as well as imports. The inputs to the New Residential Construction Price Index grew 1.1% from January of last year. The index can be broken into two components—the goods component increased 2.1% over the year, while services decreased 0.3%. For comparison, the total final demand index, which measures all goods and services across the economy, increased 3.5% over the year, with final demand with respect to goods up 2.3% and final demand for services up 4.1% over the year. Input Goods The goods component has a larger importance to the total residential construction inputs price index, representing around 60%. For the month, the price of input goods to new residential construction was up 1.6% in January. Monthly growth of the index was relatively low in the past two years, as this monthly increase was the largest since March of 2022 (3.3%). The input goods to residential construction index can be further broken down into two separate components, one measuring energy inputs with the other measuring goods less energy inputs. The latter of these two components simply represents building materials used in residential construction, which makes up around 93% of the goods index. The 2.1% yearly growth in the goods component can be attributed to the rise in the prices of building materials, which grew 2.3% over the year. Meanwhile, the price of energy inputs was 1.6% lower than last year. Between December and January, building materials increased 1.4%, while energy inputs increased 4.3%. At the individual commodity level, the five commodities with the highest importance for building materials to the New Residential Construction Index were as follows: ready-mix concrete, general millwork, paving mixtures/blocks, sheet metal products, and wood office furniture/store fixtures. Compared to last year, ready-mix concrete was up 4.1%, wood office furniture/store fixtures up 4.7%, general millwork up 2.4%, paving mixtures/blocks up 8.6% while sheet metal products were up 0.4%. For January, the commodity used in new residential construction that featured the highest price growth was an energy input, home heating oil and distillates, increasing 16.0%. The non-energy input that had the highest monthly price growth was paving mixtures and blocks, up 14.8%. This is likely a pass-through of increases in asphalt prices, which were up 6.9% in January. Input Services While prices of inputs to residential construction for services were down 0.3% over the year, they were up 0.5% in January from December. The price index for service inputs to residential construction can be broken out into three separate components: a trade services component, a transportation and warehousing services component, and a services excluding trade, transportation and warehousing component. The most significant component is trade services (around 60%), followed by services less trade, transportation and warehousing (around 29%), and finally transportation and warehousing services (around 11%). The largest component, trade services, was down 1.9% from a year ago. The services less trade, transportation and warehousing component was up 1.6% over the year.   Lastly, prices for transportation and warehousing services advanced 3.1% compared to January last year, the largest year-over-year increase since January of 2023. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Residential Construction Input Prices Increase to Start the Year2025-02-13T11:17:12-06:00

Inflation Accelerated in January

2025-02-12T11:16:50-06:00

Inflation edged up to a six-month high in January and showed little progress from a year ago. The persistent inflation rate indicates the last mile to the Fed’s 2% target continues to be challenging and is consistent with the Fed’s cautious stance amid solid economic growth and growing uncertainty. While core inflation remained stubborn due to elevated shelter and other service costs, housing costs showed signs of cooling – the year-over-year change in the shelter index remained below 5% for a fifth straight month and posted its lowest annual gain since January 2022, suggesting a continued moderation in housing inflation. While the Fed’s interest rate cuts could help ease some pressure on the housing market, its ability to address rising housing costs is limited, as these increases are driven by a lack of affordable supply and increasing development costs. In fact, tight monetary policy hurts housing supply because it increases the cost of AD&C financing. This can be seen on the graph below, as shelter costs continue to rise at an elevated pace despite Fed policy tightening. Additional housing supply is the primary solution to tame housing inflation. Furthermore, the election result has put inflation back in the spotlight and added additional upside and downside risks to the economic outlook. Proposed tax cuts and tariffs could increase inflationary pressures, suggesting a more gradual easing cycle with a slightly higher terminal federal funds rate. However, economic growth could also be higher with lower regulatory burdens. Given the housing market’s sensitivity to interest rates, a higher inflation path could extend the affordability crisis and constrain housing supply as builders continue to grapple with lingering supply chain challenges. During the past twelve months, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index rose by 3.0% in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report. This followed a 2.9% year-over-year increase in December. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI increased by 3.3% over the past twelve months, following a 3.2% increase in December. The “core” CPI has held near 3.3% since May 2024. A large portion of the “core” CPI is the housing shelter index, which increased 4.4% over the year, following a 4.6% increase in December.  Meanwhile, the component index of food rose by 2.5%, and the energy component index increased by 1.0%. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 0.5% in January (seasonally-adjusted), after a 0.4% increase in December. The “core” CPI increased by 0.4% in January, the highest monthly gain since March 2024. The price index for a broad set of energy sources rose by 1.1% in January, with increases in gasoline (+1.8%), fuel oil (+6.2%), and natural gas (+1.8%), while the electricity index remained flat. Meanwhile, the food index rose 0.4%, after a 0.3% increase in December. The index for food away from home increased by 0.2% and the index for food at home rose by 0.5%. The index for shelter (+0.4%) was the largest contributor to the monthly increase in all items index, accounting for nearly 30% of the total increase. Other top contributors that rose in January include indexes for motor vehicle insurance (+2.0%), recreation (+1.0%), as well as used cars and trucks, (+2.2%). Meanwhile, the index for apparel (-1.4%), personal care (-0.1%) and household furnishings (-0.2%) and operations were among the few major indexes that decreased over the month. The index for shelter makes up more than 40% of the “core” CPI, rose by 0.4% in January, following an increase of 0.3% in December. Both indexes for owners’ equivalent rent (OER) and rent of primary residence (RPR) increased by 0.3% over the month. Despite the moderation, shelter costs remained the largest contributors to headline inflation.  NAHB constructs a “real” rent index to indicate whether inflation in rents is faster or slower than overall inflation. It provides insight into the supply and demand conditions for rental housing. When inflation in rents is rising faster than overall inflation, the real rent index rises and vice versa. The real rent index is calculated by dividing the price index for rent by the core CPI (to exclude the volatile food and energy components). In January, the Real Rent Index fell by 0.1%. This marks the first negative reading since December 2021. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Inflation Accelerated in January2025-02-12T11:16:50-06:00

Personal Income Rises 0.4% in December

2025-01-31T13:18:37-06:00

Personal income increased by 0.4% in December, following a 0.3% rise in November and a 0.7% gain in October, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The gains in personal income were largely driven by higher wages and salaries. However, the pace of personal income growth slowed from its peak monthly gain of 1.4% in January 2024. Real disposable income, the amount remaining after adjusted for taxes and inflation, inched up 0.1% in December, matching November’s gain and following a 0.4% increase in October. On a year-over-year basis, real (inflation-adjusted) disposable income rose 2.4%, down from a 6.5% year-over-year peak recorded in June 2023. Meanwhile, personal consumption expenditures rose 0.7% in December, building on a 0.6% increase in November and 0.5% in October. Real spending, adjusted to remove inflation, increased 0.4% in December, with expenditures on goods climbing 0.7% and spending on services up 0.3%. As spending outpaced personal income growth, the personal savings rate dipped to 3.8% in December, down from 4.1% in November and 4.3% in October. With inflation eroding compensation gains, people are dipping into savings to support spending. This trend will ultimately lead to a slowing of consumer spending. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Personal Income Rises 0.4% in December2025-01-31T13:18:37-06:00

U.S. Economy Ends 2024 With Solid Growth

2025-01-30T12:15:14-06:00

Real GDP growth slowed in the fourth quarter of 2024, but the economy finished the year at a solid rate. While consumer spending continued to drive growth, gross private domestic investment detracted over a full percentage point mainly due to a decline in private inventories. According to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded at an annual rate of 2.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024, following a 3.1% gain in the third quarter of 2024. This quarter’s growth was higher than NAHB’s forecast of a 1.8% increase. Furthermore, the data from the GDP report suggests that inflationary pressure persisted at the end of 2024. The GDP price index rose 2.2% for the fourth quarter, up from a 1.9% increase in the third quarter of 2024. The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price (PCE) Index, which measures inflation (or deflation) across various consumer expenses and reflects changes in consumer behavior, rose 2.3% in the fourth quarter. This is up from a 1.5% increase in the third quarter of 2024. For the full year, real GDP grew at a healthy rate of 2.8% in 2024. It was slightly slower than the 2023 level of a 2.9% increase and matched NAHB’s forecast. This quarter’s increase in real GDP primarily reflected increases in consumer spending, and government spending. Consumer spending, the backbone of the U.S. economy, rose at an annual rate of 4.2% in the fourth quarter. This marks the highest annual growth rate since the first quarter of 2023. The increase in consumer spending reflected increases in both goods and services. While goods spending increased at a 6.6% annual rate, expenditures for services increased at a 3.1% annual rate. In the fourth quarter, government spending increased at a 2.5% rate. Nonresidential fixed investment decreased 2.2% in the fourth quarter. The decrease in nonresidential fixed investment reflected decreases in equipment (-7.8%) and structures (-1.1%). Meanwhile, residential fixed investment increased 5.3% in the fourth quarter after two consecutive quarters of declines. Within residential fixed investment, single-family structures rose 3.1% at an annual rate, improvements increased 2.7%, while multifamily structures declined 7.2%. Compared to the third quarter, the deceleration in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected downturns in gross private domestic investment and exports. Inventories fell and dragged down the contribution to real GDP by 0.93 percentage points. Imports decreased. For the common BEA terms and definitions, please access bea.gov/Help/Glossary. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

U.S. Economy Ends 2024 With Solid Growth2025-01-30T12:15:14-06:00

Housing’s Share of the Economy Remains Level with Positive Signs from Residential Investment

2025-01-30T11:19:30-06:00

Housing’s share of the economy remained unchanged at 16.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the advance estimate of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. For the year, housing’s share of the economy was 16.2%, up from 16.0% in 2023 and down from 16.5% in 2022. The more cyclical home building and remodeling component – residential fixed investment (RFI) – was 4.0% of GDP, level with the previous quarter. The second component – housing services – was 12.2% of GDP, also level with the previous quarter. The graph below stacks the nominal shares for housing services and RFI, resulting in housing’s total share of the economy. Housing service growth is much less volatile when compared to RFI due to the cyclical nature of RFI. Historically, RFI has averaged roughly 5% of GDP while housing services have averaged between 12% and 13%, for a combined 17% to 18% of GDP. These shares tend to vary over the business cycle. However, the housing share of GDP lagged during the post-Great Recession period due to underbuilding, particularly for the single-family sector. In the fourth quarter, RFI added 21 basis points from the headline GDP growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2024, a welcomed result as RFI previously had two consecutive quarters of negative contributions to GDP. The Federal Reserve, while keeping unchanged this month, lowered the federal funds rate by 100 basis points in September and December of 2024. This likely improved financing conditions for many builders, leading to RFI’s growth in the fourth quarter. A notable observation from the fourth quarter release was nonresidential fixed investment (similar to RFI, but for nonresidential structures) negatively contributed 31 basis points to GDP growth, the first negative effect on the economy for nonresidential fixed investment in over three years. Housing services added 17 basis points (bps) to GDP growth.  Among household expenditures for services, housing services contributions were the fourth-highest contributor to headline GDP growth behind health care (46 bps), other services (31 bps) and financial services and insurance (18 bps). Overall GDP increased at a 2.3% annual rate, down from a 3.1% increase in the third quarter of 2024, and down from a 3.0% increase in the second quarter of 2024. Headline GDP growth in 2024 was 2.8%, down slightly from 2.9% in 2023 but up from 2.5% in 2022. Housing-related activities contribute to GDP in two basic ways: The first is through residential fixed investment (RFI). RFI is effectively the measure of home building, multifamily development, and remodeling contributions to GDP. RFI consists of two specific types of investment, the first is residential structures. This investment includes construction of new single-family and multifamily structures, residential remodeling, production of manufactured homes, brokers’ fees and some types of equipment that are built into the structure. RFI’s second component, residential equipment, includes investment such as furniture or household appliances that are purchased by landlords for rental to tenants. For the fourth quarter, RFI was 4.0% of the economy, recording a $1.200 trillion seasonally adjusted annual pace. RFI grew 5.3% at an annual rate in the fourth quarter after falling 4.4% in the third. Among the two types of RFI, real investment in residential structures rose 5.3% while for residential equipment it rose 4.9%. Investment in residential structures stood at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of $1.178 trillion, making its share of residential investment far greater than that of residential equipment, which was at seasonally adjusted annual pace of $21.5 billion. The second impact of housing on GDP is the measure of housing services. Similar to the RFI, housing services consumption can be broken out into two components. The first component, housing, includes gross rents paid by renters, owners’ imputed rent (an estimate of how much it would cost to rent owner-occupied units), rental value of farm dwellings, and group housing. The inclusion of owners’ imputed rent is necessary from a national income accounting approach, because without this measure, increases in homeownership would result in declines in GDP. The second component, household utilities, is composed of consumption expenditures on water supply, sanitation, electricity, and gas. For the fourth quarter, housing services represented 12.2% of the economy or $3.625 trillion on a seasonally adjusted annual basis. Housing services grew 1.4% at an annual rate in the fourth quarter. Real person consumption expenditures for housing also grew 1.4%, while household utilities expenditures grew 1.6%. At the seasonally adjusted annual pace, housing expenditures was $3.166 trillion and household utility expenditures stood at $458.9 billion in seasonally adjusted annual rates. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Housing’s Share of the Economy Remains Level with Positive Signs from Residential Investment2025-01-30T11:19:30-06:00

U.S. Metro Areas in 2023: Real GDP, Construction, and Real Estate Insights

2025-01-22T12:14:42-06:00

Real GDP of metropolitan areas rose 2.7% in 2023, with the “real estate, rental and leasing” sector contributing 0.34 percentage points and construction contracting growth by 0.11 percentage points. While many metro areas followed the national growth trend, each region has its unique economic narrative. This article explores the economic trends driving these outcomes, focusing on the leading metro areas in real GDP growth, the construction sector’s standout performers over a five-year period, and the top MSAs benefiting from growth in real estate, rental, and leasing. In 2023, real GDP increased in 348 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), decreased in 34 MSAs, and remained unchanged in 3 MSAs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The data, which was recently released in December 2024, shows the range of growth spanned from 42.9% in Midland, TX, to a contraction of -9.3% in Elkhart-Goshen, IN. Three MSAs—Ithaca, NY, Joplin, MO, and Longview, WA—saw no change in real GDP. The oil and gas sector played a significant role in driving growth in many MSAs. Midland, TX, recorded the highest growth due to a surge in oil production, with the “mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction” industry contributing a hefty 41.2 percentage points to the metro area’s GDP growth. Furthermore, among the top five highest growth areas, four had this industry as the leading contributor. Top Five MSAs by Real GDP Growth and Leading Contributing Industry Metro Area2023 Real GDP Growth (%)Largest Contributing IndustryContribution (Percentage Points)Midland, TX42.9Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction41.2Greeley, CO18.5Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction15.5El Centro, CA16.4Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting14.4Odessa, TX11.6Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction7.1Wheeling, WV-OH10.7Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction9.9 Construction Sector Growth (2018–2023) From 2018 to 2023, the construction industry exhibited a mixed performance, with 140 MSAs reporting positive compound annual growth rates (CAGR), 188 recording declines, and 5 showing no change. States like Idaho, Arizona, and Florida emerged as hotspots for construction growth during this period while states in the East North Central division appear to have slowdowns in this sector. Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY, led with a 14.4% CAGR in construction. This boom was primarily driven by the development of the BlueOval SK Battery Park, slated to begin production in 2025. This joint venture between Ford Motor Company and SK On, a South Korean electric vehicle (EV) supplier, is expected to be the largest EV battery manufacturing facility globally. According to a study by the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce (HCCC), the project is estimated to: Generate $1.6 billion in construction payroll. Create 5,000 jobs by the end of 2025. Require 3,100 additional housing units to accommodate new workers. Top Five MSAs for Construction Growth (2018–2023): Metro AreaCAGR (%)Average Contribution (Percentage Points)Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY14.40.45Clarksville, TN-KY10.80.03Punta Gorda, FL10.61.12Jacksonville, NC10.20.32The Villages, FL10.11.23 Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing Growth (2018–2023) The real estate, rental, and leasing sector also showed robust growth in many regions, with 209 MSAs experiencing positive growth during the five-year period. The Villages, FL, recorded the highest CAGR at 14.1%, reflecting its status as the nation’s largest community designed for an aging population. Other MSAs like Jonesboro, AR, saw significant real estate growth due to proximity to Arkansas State University, while Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX, benefited from a population influx because of its thriving tech economy. Top Five MSAs for Real Estate Growth (2018–2023): Metro AreaCAGR (%)Average Contribution (Percentage Points)The Villages, FL14.13.6Jonesboro, AR12.11.2Twin Falls, ID10.81.1Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX10.71.4El Centro, CA10.60.6 Visit NAHB’s dashboard for additional data and visualizations on demographics, housing market and the economy for all metro areas. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

U.S. Metro Areas in 2023: Real GDP, Construction, and Real Estate Insights2025-01-22T12:14:42-06:00

Residential Construction Inputs Price Growth Slows in 2024

2025-01-14T11:19:38-06:00

Prices for inputs to new residential construction—excluding capital investment, labor, and imports—were unchanged in December according to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This index grew 0.8% over 2024, the lowest yearly increase in the index since its inception in 2014. The inputs to the new residential construction price index can be broken into two components—one for goods and another for services. The goods component increased 1.7% over the year, while services decreased 0.4%. For comparison, the total final demand index increased 3.3% in 2024, with final demand with respect to goods up 1.8% and final demand for services up 4.0% over the year. Input Goods The goods component has a larger importance to the total residential construction inputs price index, representing around 60%. The price of input goods to new residential construction was down 0.1% in December from November. The input goods to residential construction index can be further broken down into two separate components, one measuring energy inputs with the other measuring goods less energy inputs. The latter of these two components simply represents building materials used in residential construction, which makes up around 93% of the goods index. The price of goods used in residential construction grew 1.7% in 2024, slightly higher than the growth in 2023 of 1.0%. This growth can be attributed to the rise in the prices of building materials, which grew 2.2% in 2024. The price of energy inputs fell for the second straight year, down 5.3% in 2024. At the individual commodity level, the five commodities with the highest importance for building materials to the new residential construction index were as follows: ready-mix concrete, general millwork, paving mixtures/blocks, sheet metal products, and wood office furniture/store fixtures. Across these commodities, there was price growth for most commodities in 2024 except for sheet metal products. Ready-mix concrete was up 5.1%, wood office furniture/store fixtures up 4.3%, general millwork up 2.5%, paving mixtures/blocks up 2.3% while sheet metal products were down 0.2%. The commodity used in new residential construction the featured the highest price growth in 2024 was softwood lumber, not edge worked, which increased 14.7% in 2024. The commodity where prices declined the most was No. 2 diesel fuel, down 13.9%. Input Services Prices of inputs to residential construction for services were up 0.5% in December from November. The price index for service inputs to residential construction can be broken out into three separate components: a trade services component, a transportation and warehousing services component, and a services excluding trade, transportation and warehousing component. The most significant component is trade services (around 60%), followed by services less trade, transportation and warehousing (around 29%), and finally transportation and warehousing services (around 11%). The largest component, trade services, was down 1.8% in 2024 after growing 5.8% in 2023.  Across individual services, credit deposit services advanced the most in 2024, up 21.2% over the year while the prices for metal, mineral and ore wholesaling services fell the most, down 19.2%. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Residential Construction Inputs Price Growth Slows in 20242025-01-14T11:19:38-06:00

U.S. Population Grows at Highest Rate Since 2001

2025-01-10T10:22:06-06:00

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest estimates, the U.S. resident population grew by 3,304,757 to a total population of 340,110,988. The population grew at a rate of 0.98%, the highest rate since 0.99% in 2001. This also marked the third straight increase in the growth rate of the U.S. population. The vintage population estimates are released annually and represent the change in the U.S. population between July 1st of 2023 and 2024. The Census Bureau reports that the primary source of population growth was net international migration (immigration), as international migration levels once again were higher than the previous year. The level of net international migration between 2023 and 2024 was 2,786,119. The second component of population growth is natural growth, which represents births minus deaths. Births totaled 3,605,563, down slightly from last year, while the number of deaths was reported at 3,086,925, also a decrease from last year. The natural growth, therefore, between 2023 and 2024 was 518,638. Each region in the U.S. experienced population growth for the 2023-2024 period. The South led in population growth at 1.34% followed by the West at 0.85%. Meanwhile, the Midwest population grew 0.75%, while the Northeast grew the least at 0.59%.   At the State level, 47 States and the District of Columbia had a population increase over the year. Of note, D.C. had the highest growth rate at 2.13%. Florida was second with population growth at 2.00% followed by Texas at 1.80%. Numerically, Texas experienced the largest population increase gaining 562,941. This was followed by Florida at 467,347 and California at 232,570. Only three states lost population or remained level according to Census estimates. Vermont and West Virginia tied with a decline of 0.03%. Meanwhile Mississippi saw no population change. California remained the most populous state by a healthy margin. California’s population was at 39,198,693, while the next most populous state was Texas at 31,290,831. To round out the top five States by total population the proceeding highest were Florida (23,372,215), New York (19,867,248), and Pennsylvania (13,078,751). Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

U.S. Population Grows at Highest Rate Since 20012025-01-10T10:22:06-06:00

Consumer Confidence Dips Amid Economic Outlook

2024-12-23T13:16:04-06:00

Consumer confidence fell to a three-month low in December amid growing concerns about economic uncertainties, especially potential tariffs. These policy changes could derail inflation progress and lead the Fed to slow its easing pace. The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, is a survey measuring how optimistic or pessimistic consumers feel about their financial situation. This index fell from 112.8 to 104.7 in December, the largest monthly decline since August 2021. The Consumer Confidence Index consists of two components: how consumers feel about their present situation and about their expected situation. The Present Situation Index decreased 1.2 points from 141.4 to 140.2, and the Expectation Situation Index dropped 12.6 points from 93.7 to 81.1, just above the 80 threshold. Historically, an Expectation Index reading below 80 often signals a recession within a year. Consumers’ assessment of current business conditions turned negative in December. The share of respondents rating business conditions “good” decreased by 2.5 percentage points to 19.1%, while those claiming business conditions as “bad” rose by 1.4 percentage points to 16.7%. However, consumers’ assessments of the labor market improved. The share of respondents reporting that jobs were “plentiful” rose by 3.4 percentage points to 37%, and those who saw jobs as “hard to get” decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 14.8%. Consumers were less optimistic about the short-term outlook. The share of respondents expecting business conditions to improve fell from 24.7% to 21.7%, while those expecting business conditions to deteriorate rose from 15.9% to 18.3%. Similarly, expectations of employment over the next six months were less positive. The share of respondents expecting “more jobs” decreased by 3.7 percentage points to 19.1%, and those anticipating “fewer jobs” climbed by 3.4 percentage points to 21.3%. The Conference Board also reported the share of respondents planning to buy a home within six months. The share of respondents planning to buy a home fell to 4.9% in December. Of those, respondents planning to buy a newly constructed home decreased to 0.4%, and those planning to buy an existing home dropped to 2.2%. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Consumer Confidence Dips Amid Economic Outlook2024-12-23T13:16:04-06:00

2024 Third Quarter State-Level GDP Data

2024-12-20T13:15:22-06:00

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 45 states and the District of Columbia in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the second quarter of 2024 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Iowa reported no change during this time. The percent change in real GDP ranged from a 6.9 percent increase at an annual rate in Arkansas to a 2.3 percent decline in North Dakota. Nationwide, growth in real GDP (measured on a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis) increased 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2024, which is roughly the same as the second quarter level of 3.0 percent. Retail trade, health care and social assistance, and information were the leading contributors to the increase in real GDP across the country. Regionally, real GDP growth increased in all eight regions between the second and the third quarter. The percent change in real GDP ranged from a 3.9 percent increase in the Southwest region (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) to a 1.4 percent increase in the Plains region (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota). At the state level, Arkansas posted the highest GDP growth rate (6.9 percent) followed by Alabama (6.0 percent) and Mississippi (5.1 percent). On the other hand, three out of the seven states that makes up and Plains region, South Dakota (-0.8 percent), Nebraska (-1.4 percent), and North Dakota (-2.3 percent) along with Montana (-0.1 percent) posted an economic contraction in the third quarter of 2024. The agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry increased in 25 states, was the leading contributor to growth in five states including Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi, the states with the largest increases in real GDP. In contrast, this industry was the leading offset to growth in 14 states including North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Montana, the only states with declines in real GDP. Discover more from Eye On Housing Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

2024 Third Quarter State-Level GDP Data2024-12-20T13:15:22-06:00

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