Sales of new single-family houses in the United States were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 580,000 in May 2026, down 7.3% from 626,000 in April and 6.8% from 622,000 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Elevated mortgage rates, inflation and economic uncertainty kept many buyers out of the market in May, while builders continued to face affordability and financing constraints, the National Association of Home Builders said.
The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of May was 496,000 units, up from 485,000 in April and down from 503,000 a year earlier. At the current sales rate, inventory represented a 10.3-month supply, compared with 9.3 months in April and 9.7 months in May 2025.
The median sales price of new houses sold in May was $424,900, compared with $416,500 in April and $424,800 in May 2025. The average sales price was $540,600, up from $501,400 in April and $514,800 a year earlier.
Regionally, seasonally adjusted annual sales totaled 34,000 units in the Northeast, 79,000 in the Midwest, 350,000 in the South and 117,000 in the West. Compared with April, sales increased in the Northeast and Midwest and declined in the South and West.
Of the homes sold during May, 64,000 were not started, 192,000 were under construction and 324,000 were completed. Inventory at the end of the month included 117,000 homes not started, 261,000 under construction and 118,000 completed homes.
On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, 51,000 new homes were sold in May. Homes priced between $400,000 and $499,999 accounted for 30% of sales, while homes priced at $1 million and above accounted for 7%.