US housing starts fell 5.2% month-on-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.221 million in September 2026, marking a third consecutive monthly decline and the lowest level since May’s six-year low of 1.182 million. The reading followed an upwardly revised 1.288 million in August and fell short of market expectations of 1.30 million. The data suggest that elevated mortgage rates continue to weigh on construction activity, prompting builders to adopt a more cautious approach and scale back new-home inventory amid sluggish demand. Single-family housing starts fell 4.6% to 859,000, their lowest level in a year, while multi-family starts dropped 7.2% to a four-month low of 349,000. Regionally, starts declined sharply in the West (-23.2% to 235,000) and Midwest (-19.0% to 158,000), were unchanged in the Northeast at 114,000, and rose 6.1% in the South to 714,000. source: U.S. Census Bureau

Housing Starts in the United States decreased to 1221 Thousand units in September from 1288 Thousand units in August of 2026. Housing Starts in the United States averaged 1430.24 Thousand units from 1959 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 2494.00 Thousand units in January of 1972 and a record low of 478.00 Thousand units in April of 2009. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Housing Starts - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Housing Starts - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

Housing Starts in the United States decreased to 1221 Thousand units in September from 1288 Thousand units in August of 2026. Housing Starts in the United States is expected to be 1320.00 Thousand units by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Housing Starts is projected to trend around 1290.00 Thousand units in 2027 and 1270.00 Thousand units in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-09-17 12:30 PM
Housing Starts
Aug 1.275M 1.309M 1.31M 1.35M
2026-10-20 12:30 PM
Housing Starts
Sep 1.221M 1.288M 1.30M 1.3M
2026-11-18 01:30 PM
Housing Starts
Oct 1.221M



Components Last Previous Unit Reference
Housing Starts Multi Family 349.00 376.00 Thousand units Sep 2026
Housing Starts Single Family 859.00 900.00 Thousand units Sep 2026

Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Building Permits 1398.00 1403.00 Thousand Sep 2026
Building Permits MoM -0.40 -2.10 percent Sep 2026
Construction Spending MoM 0.90 -0.10 percent Aug 2026
Home Ownership Rate 65.50 65.00 percent Sep 2026
Housing Starts 1221.00 1288.00 Thousand units Sep 2026
Housing Starts MoM -5.20 -5.90 percent Sep 2026
New Home Sales 676.00 680.00 Thousand units Sep 2026
New Home Sales MoM -0.60 5.10 percent Sep 2026


United States Housing Starts
Housing Starts refer to the number of new residential construction projects that have begun during any particular month. Estimates of housing starts include units in structures being totally rebuilt on an existing foundation.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
1221.00 1288.00 2494.00 478.00 1959 - 2026 Thousand units Monthly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Housing Starts Fall for Third Straight Month
US housing starts fell 5.2% month-on-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.221 million in September 2026, marking a third consecutive monthly decline and the lowest level since May’s six-year low of 1.182 million. The reading followed an upwardly revised 1.288 million in August and fell short of market expectations of 1.30 million. The data suggest that elevated mortgage rates continue to weigh on construction activity, prompting builders to adopt a more cautious approach and scale back new-home inventory amid sluggish demand. Single-family housing starts fell 4.6% to 859,000, their lowest level in a year, while multi-family starts dropped 7.2% to a four-month low of 349,000. Regionally, starts declined sharply in the West (-23.2% to 235,000) and Midwest (-19.0% to 158,000), were unchanged in the Northeast at 114,000, and rose 6.1% in the South to 714,000.
2026-10-20
US Housing Starts Unexpectedly Fall
Housing starts in the US decreased 2.6% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.275 million units in August 2026, the second consecutive decline and the lowest level since October last year, amid rising mortgage rates and constrained affordability. It compares with 1.309 million in July and forecasts of 1.31 million. Starts in the multi-family segment slumped 22.5% to 344 thousand while starts for single unit houses were up 7.6% to 918 thousand. Regionally, starts declined in the Northeast (-44.5% to 96 thousand), Midwest (-12% to 198 thousand) and the South (-1.3% to 658 thousand) but rose in the West (32.4% to 323 thousand).
2026-09-17
US Housing Starts Drop More than Expected
Housing starts in the US dropped by 12.4% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.239 units in July of 2026. The result was firmly below market expectations of a softer drop to 1.35 million units, not far from the six-year low of 1.182 million from two months prior. Starts sank by 15.6% in multi-unit houses, while they dropped by 9.9% in single-unit housing. Among different geographical locations, units sank in the Midwest, (27.6% to 173 thousand), South (-12.6% to 645 thousand), and West (-13.8% to 149 thousand). In turn, starts were higher in the Northeast (17.1% to 164 thousand).
2026-08-18