US housing permits slip, starts hit lowest level since late 2025

17th Sep 2026 13:52

(Sharecast News) - US building permits and housing starts both declined in August, according to the Census Bureau, offering a softer read on construction activity even as regional trends diverged.

Building permits fell 2.7% month‑on‑month to an annualised print of 1.39m, below expectations for a reading of 1.41m. Multi‑family permits dropped 3.1% to 467,000, while single‑family authorisations eased 1.8% to 878,000.

Permits were down across most regions - including a 15.8% fall in the Northeast - but edged higher in the West.

Housing starts also weakened, slipping 2.6% to 1.275m, the lowest level since October 2025 and short of forecasts for 1.31m. Multi‑family starts slumped 22.5% to 344,000, while single‑family activity rose 7.6% to 918,000.

Starts fell sharply in the Northeast and Midwest but jumped 32.4% in the West.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com