Census and HUD reported privately owned housing starts at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,275,000 in August. That was 2.6% below July’s revised rate and 1.2% below August 2025. Single-family starts rose 7.6% from July to an annual rate of 918,000.

Permits ran at 1,394,000 annually, 2.7% below revised July but 3.5% above a year earlier. Completions fell to an annual rate of 1,128,000, down 11.9% monthly and 27.1% year over year. An annual rate projects one month’s pace over a year.