Housing Starts & Building Permits Jump in December

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” — Chinese Proverb

The U.S. government is reporting that privately‐owned housing starts in December, 2025 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,404,000, which is 6.2% higher than November’s revised number but is 7.3% lower than one year ago. December’s rate for buildings with five units or more was 402k. Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,448,000, which is 4.3% above than November’s revised number and is 2.2% lower than one year ago. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 515k in December.

Special Notice: The December New Residential Construction release also contains initial estimates for the month of November.