How to Read the Census Quarterly New Home Sales by Price and Financing — Price Ranges, Median vs Average, FHA and Cash
Census quarterly sales by price and financing, 3rd quarter 2026 (preliminary): 166 thousand new houses sold, median $393,300 (Q2 $413,500), 20% under $300,000, FHA share 15% (Q2 20%).
Key figures (Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing, 3rd quarter 2026)
As of 2 November 2026, 01:30 KST; most recently published tables: Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with new single-family houses sold by sales price, region and type of financing through the third quarter of 2026 (preliminary). The tables carry the date October 27, 2026, which the Census release schedule lists as the New Residential Sales release for the September 2026 survey month at 10:00 a.m. The next quarterly tables are scheduled with the New Residential Sales release of January 27, 2027 (December 2026 survey month). Primary source: https://www.census.gov/construction/nrs/pdf/quarterly_sales.pdf[1][2][3]
| Indicator (new single-family houses sold, United States) | Previous (2nd quarter 2026, revised) | Current (3rd quarter 2026, preliminary) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago (3rd quarter 2025) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houses sold in the quarter (thousands) | 176 | 166 | -5.7% (calculated) | 168; -1.2% (calculated) | levels: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; calculated %: this page's calculation |
| Median sales price (dollars) | 413,500 | 393,300 | -4.9% (calculated) | 410,100; -4.1% (calculated) | levels: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; calculated %: this page's calculation |
| Average sales price (dollars) | 511,800 | 494,400 | -3.4% (calculated) | 508,100; -2.7% (calculated) | levels: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; calculated %: this page's calculation |
| Share sold under $300,000 (percent) | 18 | 20 | +2 points (calculated) | 19; +1 point (calculated) | shares: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; point differences: this page's calculation from rounded shares |
| Share sold at $1,000,000 and over (percent) | 6 | 5 | -1 point (calculated) | 6; -1 point (calculated) | shares: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; point differences: this page's calculation from rounded shares |
| Share financed with FHA loans (percent) | 20 | 15 | -5 points (calculated) | 17; -2 points (calculated) | shares: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; point differences: this page's calculation from rounded shares |
| Share with conventional financing (percent) | 70 | 77 | +7 points (calculated) | 72; +5 points (calculated) | shares: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; point differences: this page's calculation from rounded shares |
| Share paid in cash (percent) | 5 | 4 | -1 point (calculated) | 7; -3 points (calculated) | shares: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; point differences: this page's calculation from rounded shares |
| Median sales price, South (dollars) | 364,200 | 350,300 | -3.8% (calculated) | 363,300; -3.6% (calculated) | levels: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD primary statistical record; calculated %: this page's calculation |
Comparison basis: house counts are in thousands and prices in dollars as published; shares are the published percent distributions, which are whole numbers, so point differences here are between rounded shares. Calculated percentage changes are this page's, rounded half up to one decimal. The third quarter of 2026 is preliminary (p) and the second quarter revised (r). The tables, schedule and program page are all Census Bureau publications and count as one source.[1]
In three lines
1. These quarterly Census tables show how many new single-family houses sold in each price range and region, their median and average prices, and how buyers paid (conventional loan, FHA, VA or cash).
2. In the third quarter of 2026 (preliminary), 166 thousand houses sold at a median price of $393,300, down from $413,500 in the second quarter.
3. 20% sold for under $300,000, and the FHA share of financing was 15%, down from 20%.[1]
What the tables say (in the Census Bureau's words)
Where the data come from. "The data are from the Survey of Construction (SOC), which is partially funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)." Per the table headings, sales prices include the value of the improved lot.[3]
How missing answers are handled. "Houses for which sales price was not reported have been distributed proportionally to those for which sales price was reported." "Houses for which type of financing was not reported have been distributed proportionally to those for which type of financing was reported." For the conventional column: "Includes houses reporting other types of financing."[1]
Rounding and timing. "Components may not add to total because of rounding." For the U.S. median and average price series in Tables Q6 and Q8, a footnote adds: "May reflect revisions not distributed to months." On timing: "Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing are released with the New Residential Sales release for March, June, September, and December survey months." "These series are usually (but not always) released on the workday indicated."[1][2]
Reading in pairs
Median vs average. The U.S. median fell 4.9% from the second quarter to $393,300 and the average 3.4% to $494,400 (this page's calculations). The average is above the median in every period in Table Q6. The average is more sensitive than the median to very high sale prices; both can change when the mix of houses sold changes.[1]
Price levels vs mix of houses sold. The share sold under $300,000 rose to 20% and the share at $1,000,000 and over fell to 5%. In this page's reading, a lower median can reflect a different mix of houses sold as well as lower prices for comparable houses, and these tables do not separate the two.[1]
Financing shares vs their precision. Conventional financing rose to 77% and FHA fell to 15%, but the quarterly RSE printed for the FHA count is 22%, for VA 22% and for cash 33%, against 6% for conventional. The RSE (relative standard error) describes the sampling variability of each level estimate in its column; it is not a test of whether a change between quarters is significant, and the tables do not say which quarter the quarterly RSE row refers to.[1]
Regions vs the U.S. The Northeast sold 7 thousand houses in the third quarter of 2026, and its quarterly RSEs run from 20% for the total to 96% for the under-$300,000 group; the South, with 106 thousand, had a median of $350,300. Regional quarterly percent distributions for small regions move widely from quarter to quarter; in these tables, no explanation of regional changes is provided.[1]
Components vs totals. In the third quarter of 2026 the price groups add to 167 thousand against a total of 166, and the financing types add to 165 (this page's sums); the tables note that components may not add because of rounding. For the full year 2025, the U.S. median was $417,400, 0.7% below 2024 (this page's calculation).[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
The median sales price of new single-family houses sold in the United States in the third quarter of 2026 was $393,300 (preliminary).[1] 1 source · authoritative record
An estimated 166 thousand new single-family houses were sold in the United States in the third quarter of 2026 (preliminary).[1] 1 source · authoritative record
FHA loans financed 15% of new houses sold in the third quarter of 2026, compared with 20% in the second quarter.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
20% of new houses sold in the third quarter of 2026 were priced under $300,000.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
The U.S. median price of new houses sold fell 4.9% from the second to the third quarter of 2026 and 4.1% from the third quarter of 2025.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from Census Table Q6
New houses sold in the third quarter of 2026 (166 thousand) were 5.7% fewer than in the second quarter (176 thousand).[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from Census Table Q1
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- Did prices fall for comparable new houses in the third quarter of 2026?
- Why did the FHA share fall in the third quarter of 2026?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 11/02/2026, 01:30
- Body characters
- 6,727
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 11/02/2026, 01:38
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (3)
| 11/02/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 11/02/2026 | First version. Read in full all eight tables (Q1-Q8) of the Census Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing for the third quarter of 2026 with their notes, the Survey of Construction release schedule and the New Residential Sales program page; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
| 11/02/2026 | Revised after review: the median and average comparison now says the average is more sensitive to very high sale prices and that both can change with the mix of houses sold; the revisions footnote is limited to the U.S. median and average price series in Tables Q6 and Q8; the program page is cited at its index address. | Updated |
Frequently asked
What was the median price of a new house in the third quarter of 2026?
$393,300 (preliminary), down from $413,500 in the second quarter and $410,100 a year earlier, according to the Census tables dated October 27, 2026. The quarterly RSE printed for the U.S. median is 2%.[1]
How many new houses were sold in the third quarter of 2026?
166 thousand (preliminary), compared with 176 thousand in the second quarter and 168 thousand a year earlier.[1]
What share of new houses were bought with FHA loans?
15% in the third quarter of 2026, down from 20% in the second quarter; conventional financing was 77%, VA 4% and cash 4%. The quarterly RSE for the FHA count is 22%, and this page does not test whether the change is significant.[1]
Why is the average new home price higher than the median?
In every period in Table Q6 the U.S. average is above the median, and in the third quarter of 2026 the gap was $494,400 versus $393,300. The average is more sensitive than the median to very high sale prices; both can change when the mix of houses sold changes.[1]
Does the new home sales price include the land?
Yes: in the October 27, 2026 tables, the value of the improved lot is included in the sales price.[1]
When are the next quarterly price and financing tables?
The next tables are scheduled with the January 27, 2027 New Residential Sales release for the December 2026 survey month; Census says such series are usually, but not always, released on the workday shown.[2]
What do (p) and (r) mean in the 2026 rows?
In the 2026 rows, (p) marks the preliminary third quarter and (r) the revised second quarter; both can change in later releases.[1]