TL;DR
Builders reported labor shortages in most of the 16 trades covered by the September 2026 NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index survey. Shortages across nine consistently tracked trades averaged 47%, up from 42% in April 2025, while the median labor-cost increase for the same home over the prior 12 months was 4.2%.
Homebuilding labor shortages increased across most trades in the September 2026 NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index survey, while builders reported a 4.2% median rise in labor costs for the same home over the previous 12 months. The results point to renewed workforce pressure for builders, even as housing starts remain below levels recorded during the mid-2000s housing boom.
Get pool and patio gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
The survey asked builders whether they faced serious or some shortages in 16 construction trades. The share reporting a shortage ranged from 33% for excavators and building maintenance managers to 58% for workers performing finished carpentry. Compared with the previous survey in April 2025, shortages were generally higher.
Shortage reports for plumbers remained at 45% and for HVAC workers at 43%. The other 14 trades each showed at least a slight increase. Framing crews had the largest rise, up 9 percentage points to 57%; landscaping shortages rose 7 points to 39%, and roofing shortages rose 6 points to 36%.
Across the nine trades tracked consistently since 1996, the average shortage rate reached 47%, compared with 42% in April 2025. The report also said builders’ median increase in labor costs for the same home over the prior year was 4.2%. These are survey findings; the supplied report does not give a separate estimate of the effect on home prices or construction schedules.
Pressure on Builders and Housing Supply
Labor availability and labor costs affect how easily builders can complete projects and what it costs to do so. The survey’s combination of higher reported shortages and a 4.2% median labor-cost increase signals added pressure on construction businesses. If these conditions persist, they may complicate efforts to expand building, although the report does not quantify any resulting changes in project timing, output or sale prices.
The comparison with housing starts underscores the unusual level of reported shortages: the 47% average across nine trades was higher than at any point in the 2004–2006 boom period, when annual housing starts were consistently above 1.8 million. In August 2026, starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of under 1.3 million. The figures describe different measures—builder-reported shortages and housing starts—and do not by themselves establish why either changed.
Products Worth Considering
Garvee 8 x 10 ft Walk-In Polycarbonate Greenhouse with Aluminum Frame
Greenworks 48V 17-Inch Cordless Push Lawn Mower with Two 4.0Ah Batteries
EGO Power+ 21-Inch Cordless Push Lawn Mower with 56V 4.0Ah Battery and Charger (LM2112)
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Shortages Rebound After 2022–2025 Decline
The September results follow a period in which reported residential construction labor shortages declined consistently between 2022 and 2025, after reaching a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the report. The latest survey therefore records a reversal in the trend, with the nine-trade average moving up five percentage points from April 2025.
The National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index survey covers builders’ reported experience with specific trades. Its comparisons are based on survey responses, and the nine-trade historical measure is narrower than the full set of 16 trades included in the September questionnaire. The supplied report does not provide the survey’s sample size or a breakdown by region.
“The median increase in the cost of labor for the same home over the previous 12 months was 4.2%.”
— Hardware Retailing report on the September 2026 survey
Regional and Project Effects Remain Unspecified
The report does not say how shortages varied by region, builder size or project type, and it does not provide the survey sample size. It also does not quantify whether builders are responding by raising prices, delaying projects, changing specifications or seeking workers from other trades. The reported 4.2% median labor-cost increase applies to labor for the same home over the previous 12 months; it should not be read as the percentage increase in total construction costs or home prices.
The survey records builders’ reports of shortages, not a direct count of unfilled jobs. The results establish that reported shortages rose across most surveyed trades compared with April 2025, but they do not show whether the pattern will continue in later surveys.
Future Surveys Will Test the Rebound
The next comparable NAHB survey results will show whether shortages continue to rise, level off or ease. Builders’ reports on trade availability and labor costs will remain useful measures of workforce pressure, while housing-starts data can provide a separate view of construction activity. The supplied report does not announce a date for the next survey release or forecast how either measure will change.
Key Questions
Which construction trade had the highest reported shortage?
Finished carpentry workers had the highest reported shortage share, at 58%, among the 16 trades in the September 2026 survey.
Which shortages increased most since April 2025?
Framing crews recorded the largest increase, rising 9 percentage points to 57%. Landscaping shortages rose 7 points to 39%, and roofing shortages rose 6 points to 36%.
What does the 4.2% labor-cost figure measure?
It is the median increase in labor costs for the same home over the 12 months before the September 2026 survey. It is not a measure of the increase in total building costs or home prices.
Were shortages higher in every trade?
No. Shortage reports for plumbers stayed at 45% and for HVAC workers at 43%. Reports increased at least slightly for the other 14 trades compared with April 2025.
Does the survey explain how shortages affect construction schedules?
No. The report gives builders’ shortage and labor-cost responses but does not quantify schedule delays, changes in building output or effects on home prices.
Source: rss
