INDUSTRY

housing

Category

single-family home development

product Profiled

housing built and communities developed by PulteGroup

H-Score

50

ranked 12th of 13 within the housing industry

ranked 35th of 76 overall

product description

PulteGroup is a home construction company and is the 3rd largest home construction company in the United States. The company works in 40 major markets across 24 states.(1) PulteGroup offers homes that range in size starting at 1,000 square feet. They delivered more than 29,000 homes in 2022. The company offers brands oriented towards young families and first-time home buyers, the Del Webb 55+ age restricted communities, and options amongst the Pulte, Centex, Del Webb, DiVosta, John Wieland, and American West brands.(2)

who’s affected

Thirty-five (35) percent of PulteGroup’s buyers are first-time home buyers. Twenty-six (26) percent of its buyers are considered “active adults,” or seniors living independently.(3)

influence on health-related behaviors

EATING

neutral influence

Proximity to grocery stores with healthy food options can positively influence eating habits. One metric of a neighborhood’s food environment is whether it is characterized by the USDA as “low access to food stores.(4)” In a sample of new PulteGroup locations reviewed by Building H, 44% were in low-access neighborhoods.

PulteGroup has an entire ‘Kitchenology’(5) brochure that discusses the best kitchen layouts and appliance options within selected developments, depending on the interests and preferences of the owners. To the extent that this service results in more cooking at home, it is likely to improve eating habits, although the brochure is focused on the social and stylistic aspects of the kitchen as much as its function for cooking. There is also mention of gardening activities within specific Del Webb communities.(6)

PHYSICAL ACTVITY

neutral to slight negative influence

The walkability of a geographic location has an influence on the physical activity of its residents. In a sample of new PulteGroup locations reviewed by Building H, only 4% were in neighborhoods rated as “very walkable” or better by Walk Score.(7) Ninety-two (92) percent of locations were in neighborhoods rated “car-dependent” by Walk Score and 30% scored 0 out of 100 on Walk Score’s scale. Mean Walk Score was 12.2; the median was 2. A higher Walk Score rating for a given neighborhood has been associated with increased physical activity among neighborhood residents.(8)

PulteGroup provides a number of amenities that facilitate physical activity in their communities. They offer fitness centers at 29% of a sample of housing communities reviewed by Building H, swimming pools at 56%, playgrounds at 54%; sports courts at 34%; and walking trails at 37% of their communities.

neutral to slight negative influence

There is no indication that PulteGroup does anything in the design of their properties to enhance their residents’ sleep experiences.

To the extent that PulteGroup’s locations and property designs influence physical activity and time spent outdoors, they could indirectly influence sleep as both of those behaviors are positively correlated with better sleep.

Engaging Socially

slight positive influence

In the sample of new PulteGroup homes reviewed by Building H, approximately 19% featured front porches. Neighborhoods with high prevalences of design characteristics such as front porches have been associated with more frequent talk among neighbors.(10)

Pulte offers amenities at many of its communities that can facilitate social interactions among its residents. These include clubhouses or other social gathering areas (in 10% of a sample of communities reviewed by Building H), outdoor grills (22%), playgrounds (54%), swimming pools (56%), sports courts (34%) and dog parks (17%).

Getting Outdoors

neutral influence

Neighborhood walkability is a key driver of spending time outdoors. The walkability of PulteGroup’s locations (discussed above in physical activity) has an influence on how much time its residents spend outdoors.

Access to public parks can also encourage people to go outdoors. In the sample of new PulteGroup homes reviewed by Building H, only 22% were within a 10-minute walk from a public park.(11)

The natural environment around one’s home can influence how much time people spend outdoors. In the sample of PulteGroup locations reviewed by Building H, 88% were rated “Nature Rich” or “Nature Utopia” by NatureQuant, an organization that characterizes the natural environment around any location.(12) Only 8% of PulteGroup’s locations were rated “Nature Light” or “Nature Deficient.” Mean NatureScore was 80.7; the median score 85.6. A higher NatureScore for a given neighborhood has not been directly correlated with more time spent outdoors by its residents, but it has been correlated with many improvements in health outcomes that are consistent with more time spent in nature.(13)

In its Del Webb senior communities, PulteGroup offers floor plans that are designed to seamlessly incorporate outdoor space and blur the line between indoor and outdoor living.(14)

PulteGroup offers a number of amenities that can facilitate outdoor activities. These include playgrounds (in 54% of a sample of communities reviewed by Building H), outdoor grills (22%), sports courts (34%), walking trails (33%) and dog parks (37%).

Return to 2024 Building H Index

1. Investor Relations. PulteGroup website, accessed November 20, 2023.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. The “low-access to food” designation means that a significant portion of residents of the Census tract are more than one mile (if urban) or more than 10 miles (if rural) from the nearest supermarket or large grocery store. See U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Food Access Research Atlas: Measuring Access to Food.

5. Kitchenology: Kitchen Style For Your Life. PulteGroup website, accessed November 20, 2023.

6. Carl Oleskewicz. 55+ Communities in Florida for Year-Round Gardening. 55 Places website. October 18, 2019.

7. Walk Score is a methodology for assessing the walkability of a location, using a proprietary algorithm that factors in walking proximity to amenities and pedestrian friendliness. Walk Score is based on a scale of 0-100. Locations scoring 49 or under are considered “car-dependent;” Locations scoring 70 or more are rated “very walkable.” Those scoring 90 and above are labeled “walker’s paradise.” See https://www.walkscore.com/methodology.shtml for more on the Walk Score methodology.

8. Erica Twardzik et al. Walk Score and objectively measured physical activity within a national cohort. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Volume 73, Issue 6 (June 2019), pp. 549-556.

9. Jianhong Liu et al. Air pollution exposure and adverse sleep health across the life course: A systematic review. Environmental Pollution. Volume 262 (July 2020).

10. Carrie LeVan. Neighborhoods That Matter: How Place and People Affect Political Participation. American Politics Research. Volume 48, Issue 2 (2020), pp. 286–294.

11. Based on a geographical analysis using ParkServe, a tool provided by the Trust for Public Land.

12. NatureScore is a methodology for measuring the amount and quality of natural elements of any location developed by NatureQuant. NatureScores are on a 0-100 scale and are translated to descriptive assessments using the following code: 0-19.9: “Nature Deficient”; 20-39.9: “Nature Light”; 40-59.9: “Nature Adequate”; 60-79.9: “Nature Rich”; 80-100: “Nature Utopia.” See  Delivering Technology to Assess and Promote Nature Exposure. NatureQuant White Paper. 2020.

13. NatureQuant (2020).

14. Del Webb Unveils New Consumer Inspired Homes Designs. PulteGroup press release, September 11, 2019.