The U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development report shows mixed new residential construction in August 2026. Building permits were issued at an annualized rate of 1.394 million units, down 2.7% from July but up 3.5% from August 2025. Housing starts were at 1.275 million units, down 2.6% from July and 1.2% from a year earlier.
Housing completions were weaker, reaching an annualized rate of 1.128 million units, down 11.9% from July and 27.1% from August 2025. Single-family housing starts, however, increased 7.6% from July to 918,000 units. The report also shows 280,000 authorized homes had not yet started construction at the end of August, suggesting a sizable pipeline of permitted but unstarted housing.
The data indicate that new-home construction remained active but slowed in several areas during August, particularly in completions. The Census Bureau cautions that monthly movements can be irregular and that several months of data are needed to identify an underlying trend.
