Housing starts rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.189 million in June, 1.5% above the revised May estimate of 1.135 million but 2.0% below the June 2015 rate.
Housing activity was mixed across regions. In June, starts rose 46.3% in the Northeast and 17.4% in the West, but fell 3.4% in the South and 5.2% in the Midwest.
New building permits rose during the month, rising 1.5% above May’s rate to 1.153 million. New permits, however, declined year-over-year, falling 2.0% from the June 2015 rate.
Housing completions rose 12.3% on the month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.147 million. Completions were 18.7% higher than in June 2015.
Read the Census release.