Analysis
NAICS 236115 is the 2022 national industry for new single-family housing construction (except for-sale builders), part of 23611 (Residential Building Construction). Census lists 24 example activities under it in the official index.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 15% and employment rose 28%. The 2018 count used NAICS 2017, so part of a large move can come from codes being redefined rather than from businesses opening or closing.
County Business Patterns counts 60,635 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 236,076 people at an average annual payroll of $65,006 per employee (43rd percentile of national industries). 78% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
Census lists 5 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 236117, 236118, 238990 and 238. Businesses that do several things are classified by their primary activity, the one that generates the most value, so check those boundaries before settling on this code.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include cabin construction general contractors, condominium, single-family, construction general contractors, construction management, single-family building and cottage construction general contractors, among 24 in all.
For example, building single-family houses on their own account for sale as speculative builders or merchant builders are classified in 236117 (New Housing For-Sale Builders) instead.
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises general contractor establishments primarily responsible for the entire construction of new single-family housing, such as single-family detached houses and town houses or row houses where each housing unit (1) is separated from its neighbors by a ground-to-roof wall and (2) has no housing units constructed above or below. This industry includes general contractors responsible for the on-site assembly of modular and prefabricated houses. Single-family housing design-build firms and single-family construction management firms acting as general contractors are included in this industry.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Building single-family houses on their own account for sale as speculative builders or merchant builders | 236117 New Housing For-Sale Builders |
| Remodeling or repairing existing houses and other residential buildings | 236118 Residential Remodelers |
| Performing manufactured (mobile) home set up and tie-down work | 238990 All Other Specialty Trade Contractors |
| Performing specialized construction work on houses and other residential buildings, generally on a subcontract basis | 238 Specialty Trade Contractors |
| Constructing and leasing residential buildings on their own account | 531110 Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings |
Index entries (24)
- Cabin construction general contractors
- Condominium, single-family, construction general contractors
- Construction management, single-family building
- Cottage construction general contractors
- Custom builders (except for-sale), single-family home
- Duplex (i.e., side-by-side) construction general contractors
- Home builders (except for-sale), single-family
- Housing, single-family, construction general contractors
- Log home construction general contractors
- Low income housing, single-family, construction general contractors
- Modular single-family housing assembled on site by general contractors
- Panelized single-family housing assembled on site by general contractors
- Precut single-family housing assembled on site by general contractors
- Prefabricated residential building erection, single-family
- Premanufactured single-family housing assembled on site by general contractors
- Residential construction, single-family, general contractors
- Row house (i.e., single-family type) construction general contractors
- Single-family attached housing construction general contractors
- Single-family detached housing construction general contractors
- Single-family homes built on land owned by others, general contractors of
- Single-family house construction by general contractors
- Time-share condominium construction general contractors
- Town house (i.e., single-family type) construction by general contractors
- Vacation home, single-family, construction by general contractors