Despite rising material costs, a tight labor market, and stubborn inflation, construction workers’ wages are climbing faster than most industries—a 15% pay boost in just two years, more than double the increase across all occupations. These are the best-paying metros and states for construction workers in 2025.
While conditions are challenging for new home buyers everywhere, some parts of the U.S. are more favorable than others. These are the best U.S. metros and states to find a new starter home.
Union membership in the U.S. has declined sharply over the past several decades. However, union participation remains strong in certain parts of the country. These are the cities with the highest union membership rates.
The estimated monthly mortgage payment for a median-priced U.S. home is nearly 60% higher today than it was just three years ago. These are the states and metros who have been most impacted by high interest rates.
As the cost of homeownership continues to grow out of reach for many Americans, mortgage interest rates have become a central concern for both homebuyers and policymakers. These are the U.S. locations where buyers are getting the best mortgage rates.
Despite their critical role in the economy and ensuring access to jobs, schools, and health care, roadways across the U.S. are aging fast. These are the states with the most major roadways in poor condition, and the states that have seen improvements in their infrastructure.
Housing is the largest regular expenditure for most households, so the failure of wages to keep up with housing prices can make housing costs even more expensive in real dollars. To find the locations with the highest home price-to-income ratios, researchers ranked locations by the median home price divided by the median annual household income.
Fortunately, though housing construction has fallen short nationwide, some parts of the country are bucking the trend. These are the counties and states that have built the most housing over the last decade.
Buying a home used to be the financially savvy move—but that’s no longer the case for many would-be buyers in America. With mortgage rates more than doubling since 2021 and home prices still sitting at historic highs, renting has become the more affordable choice in most markets.
The Black-White homeownership gap is wider in the U.S. today than it was in the 1960s, when it was legal to refuse to sell a home to someone because of their race. Overall, the gap between White homeownership and all minorities has exceeded 20 percentage points for more than two decades. This report examines where in the U.S. this gap continues to be most pronounced.
Recent projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggest that construction employment will continue to grow at a rate exceeding the national average over the next decade. These are the fastest-growing jobs in construction.
Analyzing home price trends since 2000, researchers ranked states and major metros based on the likelihood that a random homebuyer would have experienced a price drop greater than 5% following their purchase.
2025 is shaping up to be a year of renewed momentum in real estate: despite elevated mortgage rates and home prices, demand is rebounding—and some markets are emerging as standouts amid these new dynamics. These are the locations with the hottest real estate markets in 2025.
Construction has long been a male-dominated field. And while there is still a long way to go to achieve proportional representation, the share of female employment in construction has been increasing in recent years. These are the states with the most female construction workers.
The rise in mortgage rates beginning in 2022 has placed significant financial pressure on American households. These are the U.S. states and metros where the most people under 65 own their homes free and clear.