Housing market · United States
United States NAHB Housing Market Index
The United States NAHB Housing Market Index tracks the housing market of the United States: house prices, building permits and starts, home sales, builders' confidence or mortgage demand.
- Importance
- Medium
- Released
- Monthly
- Next release
- Currency
- USD · US dollar
- Central bank
- The Federal Reserve
Latest figures
The latest release for OCT, published on 19 October 2026, came in at 29, below the consensus of 32, down from 32 the time before.
A weaker figure than expected points to slowing activity: the US dollar tends to soften and markets price in lower rates.
Over the last 12 releases it ranged from 29 to 39, averaging 35; it has been falling for three releases in a row.
| Released | For | Actual | Consensus | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | OCT | 29 | 32 | 32 |
| 16 Sep 2026 | SEP | 32 | 34 | 35 |
| 17 Aug 2026 | AUG | 35 | 33 | 34 |
| 16 Jul 2026 | JUL | 34 | 35 | 36 ® |
| 15 Jun 2026 | JUN | 35 | 36 | 37 |
| 18 May 2026 | MAY | 37 | 35 | 34 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | APR | 34 | 37 | 38 |
| 16 Mar 2026 | MAR | 38 | 37 | 37 ® |
| 17 Feb 2026 | FEB | 36 | 38 | 37 |
| 16 Jan 2026 | JAN | 37 | 40 | 39 |
| 15 Dec 2025 | DEC | 39 | 38 | 38 |
| 18 Nov 2025 | NOV | 38 | 37 | 37 |
Why it matters
Housing is the main channel through which interest rates reach the economy: higher mortgage rates cool sales and building first. Home prices drive household wealth and confidence, and in some countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK) housing figures weigh heavily on central-bank decisions.
How it is calculated
Prices come from repeat sales of the same homes (Case-Shiller), mortgage-lender data (Nationwide, Halifax) or official registries; permits and starts from local authorities; sales from estate-agent associations; mortgage applications from lenders' weekly surveys.
What changes mean
- Permits lead starts, which lead construction activity by months.
- Falling sales with stable prices is the usual first stage of a cooling market.
- Mortgage applications react within weeks to changes in mortgage rates.
Higher than expected: A stronger figure than expected points to a healthier economy: it usually supports the US dollar and local stocks, and can push bond yields up.
Lower than expected: A weaker figure than expected points to slowing activity: the US dollar tends to soften and markets price in lower rates.
A short history
Karl Case and Robert Shiller built their repeat-sales home price index in the 1980s; the 2006–2009 US housing collapse made housing data central to market analysis.
Questions
What is the United States NAHB Housing Market Index?
The United States NAHB Housing Market Index tracks the housing market of the United States: house prices, building permits and starts, home sales, builders' confidence or mortgage demand.
What was the latest United States NAHB Housing Market Index?
29 for OCT, published on 19 October 2026 (consensus 32, previous 32).
When is the next United States NAHB Housing Market Index?
On Tuesday 17 November 2026 at 15:00 UTC.
Educational content only, not investment advice. Figures are the published results as recorded by our calendar; market reactions described are typical, not guaranteed.