Who Are NAHB’s Builder Members?
The majority of NAHB Builder members are small businesses, according to NAHB’s annual member census.
The census shows that, on average, NAHB builders started 59.2 homes in 2023 (37.3 single family and 21.9 multifamily). However, the median number of homes started was only six, because the data include a small percentage of very large builders.
Builder members — many of whom carry relatively few employees on their payrolls and utilize subcontractors — reported a median of six employees, including employees in both construction and non-construction jobs.
NAHB initiated the current version of its member census during the industry-wide downturn of 2008, when the median annual revenue of builder members was only around $1 million. Median annual revenue began rising in 2013, as the industry slowly recovered, plateauing at $2.6 million to $2.7 million from 2017 through 2020, before jumping to $3.3 million in 2021 and 2022 and then edging up by another $0.1 million in 2023.
For comparison, the Small Business Administration’s size standards classify residential builders and remodelers as small if they have average annual receipts of $45 million or less ($34 million or less for land developers).
Paul Emrath, NAHB vice president for survey and housing policy research, provides more details in this Eye on Housing post.
Latest from NAHBNow
Oct 29, 2025
Do Consumers Want Two-Story Foyers?Nearly a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer in 2024 — a number that has been trending downward over the past eight years. Though the national decline continued, regional patterns were mixed. See where this feature is hot — and where it's not.
Oct 29, 2025
How to Market to and Design for the Aging-in-Place ClientNAHB will host three webinars (open to members and non-members) in November to teach the technical, business management, and customer service skills necessary to complete modifications for aging-in-place.
Latest Economic News
Oct 29, 2025
The Fed Cuts amid Partly Cloudy ConditionsWith the government shutdown limiting the quantity of economic data available to markets and policymakers, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) enacted a widely anticipated 25 basis point cut for the short-term federal funds rate.
Oct 28, 2025
Home Price Growth SlowsHome prices in August grew at the lowest annual rate in over two years, according to the recent release of the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Home Price Index (seasonally adjusted – SA).
Oct 27, 2025
Two-Story Foyer Trend Stabilizes in 2024In 2024, nearly a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer, virtually unchanged from 2023, according to data obtained from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB.