The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for August 2026: Building Permits – Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,394,000. This is 2.7 percent below the revised July rate of 1,433,000, but is 3.5 percent above the August 2025 rate of 1,347,000. Single-family authorizations in August were at a rate of 878,000; this is 1.8 percent below the revised July figure of 894,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 467,000 in August. Housing Starts – Privately-owned housing starts in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,275,000. This is 2.6 percent (±12.0 percent)* below the revised July estimate of 1,309,000 and is 1.2 percent (±10.8 percent)* below the August 2025 rate of 1,291,000. Single-family housing starts in August were at a rate of 918,000; this is 7.6 percent (±14.0 percent)* above the revised July figure of 853,000. The August rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 344,000. Housing Completions – Privately-owned housing completions in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,128,000. This is 11.9 percent (±9.7 percent) below the revised July estimate of 1,280,000 and is 27.1 percent (±8.9 percent) below the August 2025 rate of 1,548,000. Single-family housing completions in August were at a rate of 816,000; this is 10.4 percent (±9.3 percent) below the revised July rate of 911,000. The August rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 302,000.