Housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.70 million in December, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is 1.4% above the revised November estimate of 1.67 million and is 2.5% above the December 2020 rate of 1.66 million.
Housing starts were mixed across the country, increasing in the Northeast (20.2%) and Midwest (36.5%), and decreasing in the South (1.9%) and West (13.8%).
New building permits were 1.87 million in December, 9.1% above the previous month and is 6.5% above the December 2020 rate of 1.75 million. Single-family building permits increased 2.0% from the revised November figure.
Housing completions were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.29 million in December. This is 8.7% below the revised November estimate of 1.41 million and is 6.6% below the December 2020 rate of 1.38 million.
Read the Census release.
