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May 01, 2026US HOUSING STARTS AND BUILDING PERMITS, MARCH 2026 Month over month (March 2026 vs February 2026, seasonally adjusted annualized rates)
US housing starts were up 10.8% from February to March, rising to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1,502,000 units. There were increases in single unit starts (+9.7%) as well as in multi-unit dwelling starts (+13.3%).
The number of residential building permits were down 10.8% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1,372,000 units. Permits were down more for multiple units (-21.5%) than for single units (-3.8%).
Year over year (March 2026 vs March 2025)
Compared to the same month last year, US housing starts were up (+10.8%), with increases in multiple unit starts (+15.5%) as well as in single unit starts (+8.9%).
Residential building permits were down (-7.4%) year-over-year, with decreases in single units (-7.9%) as well as in multi-unit structures (-6.3%).
Year-to-date (January-March 2026 vs January-March 2025)
In the first three months of 2026, US housing starts were up 1.3%, with declines in single unit starts (-5.7%) and increases in multi-unit starts (+19.7%).
Residential building permits were down 2.3% year-to-date, with decreases in single units (-8.5%) and increases in multi-unit structures (+10.5%).
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