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May 21, 2026US HOUSING STARTS AND BUILDING PERMITS, APRIL 2026 Month over month (April 2026 vs March 2026, seasonally adjusted annualized rates)
US housing starts were down 2.8% from March to April, declining to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1,465,000 units. There were decreases in single unit starts (-9.0%) and increases in multi-unit dwelling starts (+10.3%).
The number of residential building permits were up 5.8% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1,442,000 units. Permits were up for multiple units (+21.8%) and down for single units (-2.6%).
Year over year (April 2026 vs April 2025)
Compared to the same month last year, US housing starts were up (+4.6%), with increases in multiple unit starts (+19.7%) and declines in single unit starts (-2.4%).
Residential building permits were down (-0.2%) year-over-year, with decreases in single units (-5.5%) and increases in multi-unit structures (+9.2%).
Year-to-date (January-April 2026 vs January-April 2025)
In the first four months of 2026, US housing starts were up 2.0%, with declines in single unit starts (-5.5%) and increases in multi-unit starts (+20.7%).
Residential building permits were down 1.8% year-to-date, with decreases in single units (-7.1%) and increases in multi-unit structures (+8.3%).
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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