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October 20, 2026US HOUSING STARTS AND BUILDING PERMITS, SEPTEMBER 2026 Month over month (September vs August 2026, seasonally adjusted annualized rates)
US housing starts were down 5.2% from August to September, falling to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1,221,000 units. Declines occurred for both multi-unit dwelling starts (-6.7%) and single-unit starts (-4.6%).
The number of residential building permits was down 0.2% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1,400,000 units. Declines in single-unit permits (-4.0%) offset an increase in multiple-unit permits (6.1%).
Year over year (September 2026 vs September 2025)
Compared to the same month last year, US housing starts were down 7.4%, with decreases in multiple unit starts (-24.9%) offsetting gains in single unit starts (+2.6%).
Residential building permits were down 3.0% year-over-year. Residential building permit declines occurred for both multi-unit structures (-0.2%) and single unit structures (-4.8%).
Year-to-date (January-September 2026 vs January-September 2025)
From January-September of 2026, US housing starts were down 1.1%. While housing starts for single units declined (-4.2%), those for multi-units increased (+5.8%).
Residential building permits were down 0.9% year-to-date, with decreases in single units (-3.6%) and increases in multi-unit structures (+4.0%).
Note: multi-unit refers to structures with 2-4 units as well as structures were more than 5 units.
Source: US Census Bureau New Residential Construction
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