Residential Construction Picks Up in December But Remains Down Over the Year
Building permits increased 4.3% in December but fell 2.2% over the year. Permits for single-family homes in December decreased 1.7% and 10.9% over the year. On the other hand, permits for buildings with five or more units surged 18.1% from November and 18.7% over the year.
In December, housing starts rose 6.2% from November but declined 7.3% over the year. Starts for single-family homes moved up 4.1% from November but dropped 9.0% over the year. Meanwhile, starts for buildings with five or more units jumped 10.1% over the month but fell 1.0% over the year.
Housing completions increased 2.3% over the month but ticked down 0.1% over the year. Single-family home completions edged down 0.1% from November but surged 10.2% from December 2024. At the same time, completions for buildings with five or more units rose 7.1% over the month but plummeted 15.9% from one year ago.