US Housing Starts Fall for Third Straight Month

2026-10-20 12:33 By Joana Ferreira 1 min. read

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.



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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.
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