Housing · HOUST

Housing starts

As of Sep 2026, housing starts stood at 1,221K (thousands of units, annual rate), a change of -5.2% from the month before.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau via FRED®. Monthly data, seasonally adjusted. Latest observation Sep 2026; snapshot taken Oct 26, 2026, 6:40 PM EDT.

Latest (Sep 2026)

1,221K

Change from Aug 2026

-5.2%

A year earlier

1,319K

12-month change

-7.4%

1,221K Sep 2026 · Thousands of units, annual rate

1,000K1,200K1,400K1,600K1,800K20222023202420252026

Thousands of units, annual rate. Data from Jan 1959 to Sep 2026 (813 observations).

What it measures

Housing starts count the new homes and apartment units on which construction began, shown as a yearly pace. They are a timely sign of how much builders expect to sell or rent.

Official title
New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
Units
Thousands of units, annual rate
Frequency and adjustment
Monthly, seasonally adjusted
Original source
U.S. Census Bureau
Recent values
DateValueChange
Sep 20261,221K-5.2%
Aug 20261,288K-5.9%
Jul 20261,369K-4.9%
Jun 20261,439K+21.7%
May 20261,182K-16.4%
Apr 20261,414K-7.1%
Mar 20261,522K+13.1%
Feb 20261,346K-2.8%
Jan 20261,385K+0.5%
Dec 20251,378K+4.5%
Nov 20251,319K+3.6%
Oct 20251,273K-3.5%

Related indicators

This page shows public economic data for general information. It is not financial advice and does not predict future values.

Sources

  • U.S. Census Bureau, New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units [HOUST], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HOUST, Oct 26, 2026.
  • View HOUST on FRED® · U.S. Census Bureau

FRED® is a registered trademark of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Neither the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis nor U.S. Census Bureau endorses OpenEcon.