U.S. housing starts increased in June as a sharp rise in multifamily construction outweighed a decline in single-family homebuilding. Total starts climbed 19% from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.32 million units, with multifamily starts jumping 76% while single-family starts slipped 0.2%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Building permits edged down to a 1,367,000 unit annualized rate in June, 3.0% below May and 2.3% below June 2025. Single-family authorizations were 871,000 units, 2.4% below May and 0.2% below June 2025. Multifamily permits were 496,000 units.
Housing completions ran at a 1,392,000 unit annualized rate in June, 3.3% above May and 1.5% above June 2025. Single-family completions were 964,000 units, up 6.6% from May and up 5.5% year over year. Completions in units in buildings with five units or more were 413,000 units, down 5.1% from June 2025.
Units under construction totaled 1,264,000 at the end of June. Single-family units under construction were 582,000, down 6.9% from a year earlier; multifamily units under construction were 682,000, down 5.7% year over year. Units in buildings with five units or more under construction were 665,000. Total units under construction were down 6.2% from a year earlier.
Year-to-date through June, housing starts were 695,700 units, up 0.5% from a year earlier. Regionally, year-to-date housing starts ran at up 4.5% in the Northeast, up 1.2% in the Midwest, up 1.7% in the South and down 4.4% in the West. Year-to-date single-family starts were down 14.7% in the Northeast, down 7.1% in the Midwest, down 2.6% in the South and down 8.3% in the West. Year-to-date building permits were 718,200 units, down 2.0% from a year earlier; regional year-to-date permits rose 15.2% in the Northeast, rose 1.4% in the Midwest, fell 6.3% in the South and rose 0.7% in the West.
The three-month average of single-family starts for April through June was 902,000 units.