As of April 2013, home building employment totaled 2.1 million people, up nearly 100,000 in the last year, according to the labor department. Home building contributed 20 percent to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the last six quarters. Residential Fixed Investment (RFI), the home building component of the (GDP), measures spending on residential structures, including manufactured housing, single and multi-family homes, as well as remodeling and improvements that extend the life of the home. For the last six quarters RFI has averaged a 14 percent growth rate, as usnews has informed MHProNews. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports housing, defined as the combination of the monetary value of newly-built housing and sales of existing housing, has often accounted for 17-18 percent of the overall economy. The first quarter of 2013 saw that number at 15.18 percent.
