Construction by the Numbers: Northern Michigan building leaders break down the latest data
April 2026
Two years ago, we took an analytical look at the state of housing construction across northern Michigan with Lauren Tucker, executive officer of the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Northwest Michigan, digging into data to get a clearer post-COVID snapshot of the industry. Now, as another construction season ramps up, Tucker and other leaders share updated numbers — from permits and job growth to timelines, lumber supply and what to expect heading into summer 2026.
Education and job landscape
12 percent: That’s how much job growth NMC’s Construction Technology Program Coordinator Carolyn Andrews estimates the NoMi region has seen since 2020. “Especially around Traverse City,” said Andrews, adding that a boom in residential building and recent infrastructure investments – which includes the city’s upcoming $4 million-plus reconstruction of Slabtown’s Monroe Street – are big factors in the increase. That’s good news for students in NMC’s construction programs, which partner with the HBA of Northwest Michigan, Builders Exchange of Northwest Michigan and several contractors to fill out job-site opportunities and connections for their cohorts.
178: The current number of regional job openings for construction laborers, while demand for carpenters (129 current openings) and HVAC mechanics (52 current openings) is expected to grow, too. With spring’s busy construction season upon us, there’s still not enough skilled workers to fill the talent gap, explains Andrews, noting that even as NMC graduates fresh contractors into the field, a larger number of workers are retiring. “There aren’t enough new people entering the trades,” she said.
58: Median age of licensed builders in the state, per 2025 data from the Home Builders Association of Michigan. With 42,206 total licensed builders in Michigan, the majority of them (23,586 to be exact) are 56 and older and coming up on retirement, with those aged 18 to 55 totaling 18,620.
$27.60: The mean-hourly wage of Traverse City’s workforce employed in the “construction and extraction” occupational category (a broad term for trade and labor workers) according to the latest numbers reported in 2024 by the National U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about 10 percent less than the reported national average of $30.73, or roughly $6,500 less per year for full-timers. While there’s job opportunities aplenty up here – and higher wages compared to smaller Michigan communities – competitive pay still lags compared to the rest of the country.
TuckerResidential red tape
Zero: How many changes have been implemented to the Michigan Residential Code (MRC) since updates were meant to launch last year. “We are still operating under the 2015 [version],” said the HBA’s Tucker. Changes to the code, which includes standards that could crank up new home prices by another $15,000, have faced flack from industry leaders. A lawsuit filed by the HBA of Michigan paused those updates in July. In the meantime, Tucker says it’ll likely be another two years before any changes come into play. Meanwhile, a new commercial residential code was adopted in 2025.
435: Single Family Home (SFH) permits submitted last year in Grand Traverse County. That’s a solid jump from the 279 new SFH permits in 2023. But for Leelanau and Benzie counties, those permits have actually dipped – Leelanau’s from 208 in 2023 to 128 in 2025, and Benzie’s from 129 in 2023 to 116 in 2025.
2.8 percent: Reduction in SFH permits that the HBA of Michigan forecasts for this year. Tucker, who notes an increase in multi-family units being built locally, thinks the downward trend on new SFHs could be a mix of industry factors (like increasing construction timelines) and economic factors. There’s no debate that homeownership is becoming less and less accessible to younger markets, with the average age of first time home buyers reaching 40 recently. It was 35 just three years ago. And though mortgage rates have fallen slightly over the last year, “mortgage rates will continue to be the single biggest factor contributing to new home affordability,” said Tucker. And, consequently, they’ll continue to nick at how many new SFH permits are requested this year. Though, Tucker notes, northern Michigan probably won’t be quite as impacted by the rest of the state, since the area attracts more cash buyers, even when it comes to new construction.
$475,024: The estimated average market value of brand-new SFHs built in Michigan last year. That’s up 6.5 percent over the prior 12-month period which averaged $445,864.
Costs and timelines
12 to 18: That’s how many months the current surplus of fire-salvaged Canadian lumber is expected to last — a glut that’s actually helped ease building costs. Last year’s Canadian wildfires burned more than 20 million acres of forest, killing millions of trees still standing, still useable trees. “Lumber companies harvest this lumber and produce a surplus, lowering the cost of importing,” said Tucker. So, “even with tariffs, [it] keeps the cost flat.” Material supply, she adds, is pretty stable, and U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber aren’t expected to hugely impact 2026 costs since most softwood production is domestic anyway. The biggest variable for this year is interest rates, says Tucker. If those continue to fall, more buyers are likely to enter the market, pushing housing starts and material costs higher. For now, though, the lumber market has been flat and, she said “the outlook remains remarkably flat.”
90 percent: How much construction timelines have grown since interior designer Paige Maurer first started in the industry 12 years ago. Back then, “it was achievable to start a new build in the late summer or early fall, around Labor Day, and have it completed by early June or the 4th of July,” said Maurer. These days, larger, more elaborate builds, delayed supplies and labor shortages have extended those timelines from around 10 to 12 months to 18 to 24 months.
Haselton3,000 to 5,000: The average square footage of the new construction builds that Maurer, who specializes in luxury and custom projects, is seeing for this year. That’s not a big change from last year, she says, but while the size has stayed consistent she’s seeing more of that square footage dedicated to outside spaces like “screened porches, large decks, pools and saunas.”
Five: Newly built single-family homes currently listed at or below $320,000 across the Greater Grand Traverse and Leelanau areas – a sliver of inventory in what developer Josh Haselton calls northern Michigan’s “missing middle.” It’s the price point where many families can realistically picture homeownership, if they can find something to buy. That’s another number that hasn’t shifted much over the last couple years. “I believe that this number is still floating around $300,000,” said Haselton. “Interest rates are softening which gives a little relief on the monthly payment for this ‘missing middle’ customer.”
Two years ago, Haselton’s firm, Northern Den Development, built exclusively for that market, breaking ground on Thrive TC, 26 three-bedroom, 1.5-bath condo units priced between $293,500 and $305,900 and built in partnership with NMC construction majors on Traverse City’s south side. With Thrive completely sold out, he’s now building Willow’s Way, a 48-unit development on Traverse City’s west side that’ll be similar to Thrive, including remaining in that $300,000 price point. And, though none of Willow’s units have been listed yet, “of the first eight units available, we already have five sold,” said Haselton.
