Chart: Modular Continues to Lose Market Share

The total market share of non-site built single-family homes (modular and panelized) was at 2% of single-family completions in 2021, according to Census Bureau Survey of Construction data and NAHB analysis. This share has been steadily declining since early-2000s despite the high-level of interest for non-site built construction.

In 2021, there were 24,000 total single-family units built using modular (10,000) and panelized/pre-cut (14,000) construction methods, out of a total of 970,000 total single-family homes completed. While the market share is small, there exists potential for expansion. This 2% market share for 2021 represents a decline from years prior to the Great Recession. In 1998, 7% of single-family completions were modular (4%) or panelized (3%). This marked the largest share for the 1992-2021 period.

One notable regional concentration is found in the Midwest where 6% (7,000 homes) of the region’s 125,000 housing units were completed using non-site build construction methods, the highest share in the country.

With respect to multifamily construction, approximately 1% of multifamily buildings (properties, not units) were built using modular and panelized methods. Similarly to single-family construction, this market share was expected to grow, but the expected gains did not materialize due to various constraints in the industry. In the year 2000 and 2011, 5% of multifamily buildings were constructed with modular (1%) or panelized construction methods (4%).