March 1, 2007 - Shipments of modular homes totaled 8,200 in the fourth quarter of 2006, down 19.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 2005, according to the National Modular Housing Council. In addition, shipments for the second and third quarters were revised higher, bringing total shipments for 2006 to 38,300, down 11.1 percent from 2005.

In the context of the adversity experienced by site-built homebuilders in 2006, the 11.1 percent decline in modular home shipments is a solid performance for the sector. Sales of new homes fell 16.4 percent in 2006.

Modular housing continues to gain market share, and accounts for 3.6 percent of all new home sales, up slightly from 2005.

In 2006, modular housing grew its market share in a number of key states including Colorado, Indiana, and New Hampshire.

The greatest strides were made in Florida and Virginia. In 2006, building permits fell by greater than 20 percent in each of these states; modular housing shipments grew slightly in Virginia and were up 14 percent in Florida, resulting in robust market share gains in those states.

Hallahan Associates currently tracks shipments of modular homes in 29 states for the NMHC. In the fourth quarter, shipments were up in 4 states, down in 22 states, and flat in three states, year-over-year.

States experiencing year-over-year shipments growth in the fourth quarter were Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts and Texas. Fourth quarter shipments were down in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Shipments were essentially unchanged in Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

NMHC and MHI members can access more detailed information on the latest modular housing statistics in the forthcoming Quarterly Modular Housing Report, which will be available online at www.modularcouncil.org next week. To subscribe to this report click here or contact Chris Bare at 703-558-0667 or cbare@modularcouncil.org.
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Modular housing statistics provided by the National Modular Housing Council are from state and national surveys conducted by Hallahan Associates of Baltimore, MD. The reliability and accuracy of the modular shipments data in this flash report is entirely dependent upon the factual representations made by state agencies, individual manufacturers, DAPIAs, and other sources, and may or may not reflect the entire market. Modular shipments for single-family residential dwellings include detached homes as well as town homes. The data provided refer to shipments of homes as opposed to shipments of sections, and exclude shipments of all types of commercial buildings.

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