Building permits edge down in September as housing starts decline 5.2%

 Building permits decreased 0.2% in September and 3.0% over the year. Permits for single-family homes in September fell 4.0% and 4.8% over the year. At the same time, permits for buildings with five or more units rose 5.9% from August and 1.0% over the year.

In September, housing starts declined 5.2% from August and 7.4% over the year. Starts for single-family homes stepped down 4.6% from August but increased 2.6% over the year. Meanwhile, starts for buildings with five or more units fell 7.2% over the month and 25.9% over the year.

Housing completions moved up 2.2% over the month but dropped 14.0% over the year. Single-family completions decreased 2.4% from August and 11.0% from September 2025. At the same time, completions for buildings with five or more units jumped 14.9% over the month but plummeted 20.4% from one year ago.