4,382 New HUD-Code Homes Shipped in
September 2012 – Down 13.0 Percent from September 2011

MHI’s Monthly Economic Report© for September 2012 is now available.

In September 2012, 4,382 new manufactured homes were shipped, down 13.0 percent from September 2011. The trend varied by housing type with shipments of single section homes down by 26.4 percent compared with the same month last year, while shipments of the multi-section homes showed an increase.

In comparison with the previous year, 2012 recorded shipment increases every month from January through August. September marked the first month of a relative decline in shipments. Over the nine-month period, total industry shipments stands at 41,880 homes compared with 37,031 homes in 2011, a year-to-date increase of 13.1 percent. A total of 6,942 floors were shipped in the month, a decrease of 8.4 percent over September 2011.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of shipments was 47,076 in September 2012, down 18.3 percent from the rate of 57,639 in August 2012. The SAAR corrects for normal seasonal variations in shipments and projects annual shipments based on the current monthly total.

The number of plants reporting production in September was 122 and the number of active corporations was 44, both unchanged from the prior month.