Top 10 Builders Account for 30% of Single-Family Market Share
For the second year in a row, the top 10 builders captured at least a 30% market share of new single-family home closings. The most recent findings show that these firms combined for 30.4% of new single-family home closings in 2019, according to data released by BUILDER Magazine.
Data going back to 1989 shows a rising trend in the top 10 builder share. The share grew significantly from 1989 (8.7%) to 2006 (28.2%). For the next 10 years, the share remained fairly steady, between 25% and 27%, with slight dips in 2009 (23.9%) and in 2012 (24.2%). From 2017 to 2018, the top 10 share jumped significantly, rising 4.2 percentage points to 31.5%. This jump was mostly due to the acquisition of CalAtlantic by Lennar Corp. The top 10 share edged down slightly in 2019.
The top 10 builder ranking in 2019 remained unchanged from the previous year, with builders occupying the same rank positions. D.R. Horton was the top builder in 2019, capturing 8.6% of the market with 58,434 closings. D.R. Horton has been the top builder since 2002. Lennar ranked second on the list with a 7.5% market share and PulteGroup was third at 3.4%.
Top Ten Builder % Market Share, 2018 & 2019
| Rank | Builder | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D.R. Horton | 8.6% | 8.6% |
| 2 | Lennar Corp. | 8.0% | 7.5% |
| 3 | PulteGroup | 3.8% | 3.4% |
| 4 | NVR | 3.0% | 2.9% |
| 5 | KB Homes | 1.8% | 1.7% |
| 6 | Taylor Morrison | 1.4% | 1.5% |
| 7 | Meritage Homes Corp. | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| 8 | Toll Brothers | 1.3% | 1.2% |
| 9 | Century Communities | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| 10 | LGI Homes | 1.1% | 1.1% |
Publicly-traded companies possess many advantages, including better access to credit from their own balance sheets, economies of scale in land and material purchases as well as advertising and land holdings.
However, small builders are better positioned to address the growth in the custom home building market. They possess an intimate knowledge of their local markets and their flexibility allows them to customize their product to meet local demands and preferences. Also, smaller home building companies usually have local roots and can use those more personal relationships to improve quality and increase repeat business.
NAHB 2020 intern Shea Krekorian and economist Carmel Ford provide more details in this Eye on Housing blog post.