D.R. Horton, Inc. is an American

home construction Home construction or residential construction is the process of constructing a house, apartment building, or similar residential building generally referred to as a 'home' when giving consideration to the people who might now or someday reside t ...

company based in

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

. Since 2002, the company has been the largest homebuilder by volume in the United States. The company ranked number 120 on the 2024

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...

list of the largest United States corporations by revenue. The company operates in 125 markets across 36 states. D.R. Horton operates four brands: D.R. Horton, Emerald Homes, Express Homes, and Freedom Homes. Express Homes is tailored to entry-level buyers while the Emerald Homes brand is sold as luxury real estate. Freedom Homes caters to the active adult community.

History

The company was founded in 1978 by Donald R. Horton. Horton took the company public in 1992, and as of 2020 owned about 6% of the company. In 1997, the company acquired Continental Homes for $305 million and the assumption of $278 million in debt. The company also entered the

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, market. In 1998, the company promoted Donald J. Tomnitz to vice chairman and chief executive and promoted Richard Beckwitt to president. The company also acquired Cambridge Homes. The company completed more acquisitions throughout the years. In 1999, the company acquired Century Title Agency. In 2001, the company acquired Emerald Builders and Fortress Homes and Communities of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. In 2002, the company acquired Schuler Homes. The company also acquired 300 acres in Arlington, Texas. In 2013, the company re-entered the

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

market. In April 2015, the company acquired Pacific Ridge Homes, based in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, for $72 million. The acquisition included 350 lots, 90 homes in inventory and 40 homes in sales order backlog. Horton also acquired control of about 400 lots through option contracts. In May 2015, the company received approval from the

Honolulu City Council Honolulu City Council is the legislature of the City and County of Honolulu, the capital and largest city in Hawai'i, the fiftieth state in the United States. The City and County of Honolulu is a municipal corporation that manages government a ...

to begin construction on an 11,750-home

planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

in West Oahu, Hawaii. In 2016, the company acquired Wilson Parker Homes for $90 million. In 2017, the company moved its headquarters from

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, to

. In 2018, the company acquired Terramor Homes, Classic Builders, and Westport Homes. On May 17, 2024, the company announced the passing of its founder and chairman, Donald R. Horton, who suddenly died at the age of 74. Company representatives believe the cause of death was a heart attack. Following Horton's death, the board appointed the company's Executive Vice Chairman, David V. Auld, as the new executive chairman.

Controversies

The

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

heard the appeal of a case in which the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States that enforces United States labor law, U.S. labor law in relation to collect ...

held that the company violated the

National Labor Relations Act The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act, is a foundational statute of United States labor law that guarantees the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, an ...

(NLRA) by requiring its employees to sign an arbitration agreement that prohibited them from pursuing claims in a collective or

class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage Robot''), a 2002 e ...

. In 2018 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of D.R. Horton, stating that the company's actions did not violate the NLRA or the

Federal Arbitration Act The United States Arbitration Act (, codified at ), more commonly referred to as the Federal Arbitration Act or FAA, is an act of Congress that provides for non-judicial facilitation of private dispute resolution through arbitration. It applies ...

.Peter N. Kirsanow and Adam Primm (May 21, 2018)

BeneschLaw.com, accessed 23 Nov 2023

Awards and recognition

* 1st, ''Builder'' Top 100 - 2003-2023

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1978 establishments in Texas Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Companies based in Arlington, Texas Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1978 Construction and civil engineering companies of the United States Home builders 1992 initial public offerings