New Residential Construction (APERMITS, TOTAL) · Housing units authorized in permit-issuing places, all units, seasonally adjusted annual rate
How many new homes are authorized by building permits in the United States?
The annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits was 1,398 thousand in the month ended , down 3.2% from a year earlier.
Housing units authorized in permit-issuing places in the United States, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Housing units authorized in permit-issuing places in the United States, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Housing units authorized in permit-issuing places in the United States | 1,398 thousand | 1,403 thousand | 1,444 thousand | 1,649 thousand | 1,303 thousand |
| Change over a year | −3.2% | +4.2% | +1.6% | −0.1% | +13.9% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits was 1,398 thousand in September 2026, the lowest since June 2026.
Over a year it is down 3.2% (ours).
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 1,403 thousand in | −0.4% |
| Three months | 1,374 thousand in | +1.7% |
| Twelve months | 1,444 thousand in | −3.2% |
| Five years | 1,649 thousand in | −15.2% |
| Ten years | 1,303 thousand in | +7.3% |
In historyOurs
The annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits of 1,398 thousand in was higher than in 420 of the 800 other months since , the same in 1 and lower in 379.
Highest since : 2,419 thousand in . Lowest since : 513 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 1,374.8 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 801 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits is down 3.2%, which ranks 3 of the 9 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits beside the lines of the housing starts, permits and completions page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Understanding the annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits
Where it stands today
The annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits was 1,398 thousand in September 2026.
What does the annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits measure?
Housing units authorized in permit-issuing places counts new homes of every kind, in single-family houses and in buildings of two or more units, in the United States. The Census Bureau estimates it each month and publishes it as a seasonally adjusted annual rate.
Read more
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, and how the change over a year compares with the other lines of the housing starts, permits and completions page.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the annual rate of housing units authorized by building permits in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1960
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 1,398 thousand | −3.2% | |
| 1,403 thousand | +4.2% | |
| 1,433 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 1,374 thousand | −1.8% | |
| 1,410 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 1,423 thousand | −1.5% | |
| 1,363 thousand | −8.6% | |
| 1,540 thousand | +6.5% | |
| 1,393 thousand | −4.8% | |
| 1,482 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 1,414 thousand | −6.5% | |
| 1,418 thousand | −1.2% | |
| 1,444 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 1,347 thousand | −9.7% | |
| 1,400 thousand | −3.3% | |
| 1,399 thousand | −4.1% | |
| 1,416 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 1,445 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 1,492 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 1,446 thousand | −7.9% | |
| 1,463 thousand | −5.5% | |
| 1,467 thousand | −2.3% | |
| 1,512 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 1,435 thousand | −5.8% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 1,421 thousand | −7.1% | |
| 1,492 thousand | −6.5% | |
| 1,448 thousand | −5.4% | |
| 1,459 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 1,405 thousand | −11.0% | |
| 1,456 thousand | −1.8% | |
| 1,477 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 1,570 thousand | −2.2% | |
| 1,548 thousand | +9.2% | |
| 1,501 thousand | +7.4% | |
| 1,513 thousand | +6.3% | |
| 1,524 thousand | −3.7% | |
| 1,530 thousand | −3.5% | |
| 1,596 thousand | +2.0% | |
| 1,530 thousand | −10.4% | |
| 1,447 thousand | −16.2% | |
| 1,579 thousand | −7.7% | |
| 1,482 thousand | −19.8% | |
| 1,472 thousand | −22.5% | |
| 1,605 thousand | −13.1% | |
| 1,418 thousand | −26.3% | |
| 1,398 thousand | −25.9% | |
| 1,424 thousand | −19.5% | |
| 1,583 thousand | −6.8% | |
| 1,586 thousand | −3.8% | |
| 1,565 thousand | −10.1% | |
| 1,707 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 1,726 thousand | +3.9% | |
| 1,711 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 1,849 thousand | +8.1% | |
| 1,899 thousand | +8.1% | |
| 1,846 thousand | +8.4% | |
| 1,923 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 1,886 thousand | +7.5% | |
| 1,770 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 1,699 thousand | +5.4% | |
| 1,649 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 1,740 thousand | +13.4% | |
| 1,666 thousand | +8.3% | |
| 1,662 thousand | +24.7% | |
| 1,705 thousand | +36.3% | |
| 1,710 thousand | +58.5% | |
| 1,756 thousand | +30.0% | |
| 1,703 thousand | +16.6% | |
| 1,856 thousand | +24.6% | |
| 1,755 thousand | +21.6% | |
| 1,692 thousand | +10.2% | |
| 1,612 thousand | +5.8% | |
| 1,650 thousand | +12.3% | |
| 1,534 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 1,539 thousand | +11.6% | |
| 1,333 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 1,251 thousand | −7.1% | |
| 1,079 thousand | −18.4% | |
| 1,351 thousand | +4.3% | |
| 1,461 thousand | +13.6% | |
| 1,490 thousand | +18.8% | |
| 1,443 thousand | +9.6% | |
| 1,535 thousand | +14.6% | |
| 1,523 thousand | +19.7% | |
| 1,469 thousand | +11.8% | |
| 1,482 thousand | +16.4% | |
| 1,379 thousand | +3.4% | |
| 1,299 thousand | −3.4% | |
| 1,347 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 1,322 thousand | −4.1% | |
| 1,295 thousand | −6.5% | |
| 1,286 thousand | −2.6% | |
| 1,254 thousand | −4.8% | |
| 1,317 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 1,340 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 1,272 thousand | −6.2% | |
| 1,314 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 1,273 thousand | −3.5% | |
| 1,334 thousand | +6.2% | |
| 1,345 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 1,338 thousand | +10.8% | |
| 1,378 thousand | +10.2% | |
| 1,385 thousand | +8.9% | |
| 1,321 thousand | +7.1% | |
| 1,317 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 1,311 thousand | +5.0% | |
| 1,299 thousand | +5.6% | |
| 1,356 thousand | +8.1% | |
| 1,273 thousand | −2.3% | |
| 1,319 thousand | +9.8% | |
| 1,256 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 1,353 thousand | +12.0% | |
| 1,208 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 1,251 thousand | +7.8% | |
| 1,272 thousand | +13.8% | |
| 1,234 thousand | +5.3% | |
| 1,303 thousand | +11.3% | |
| 1,248 thousand | +3.1% | |
| 1,230 thousand | −1.1% | |
| 1,254 thousand | +8.1% |
How does it compare with the lines of the housing starts, permits and completions page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family starts | 859 thousand | +2.6% | 1 | |
| Permits for buildings of 5 units or more | 501 thousand | +0.6% | 2 | |
| Building permits (this page) | 1,398 thousand | −3.2% | 3 | |
| Single-family permits | 846 thousand | −4.7% | 4 | |
| Housing starts | 1,221 thousand | −7.4% | 5 | |
| Single-family completions | 840 thousand | −11.0% | 6 | |
| Housing completions | 1,192 thousand | −14.0% | 7 | |
| Completions in buildings of 5 units or more | 339 thousand | −20.4% | 8 | |
| Starts in buildings of 5 units or more | 349 thousand | −25.9% | 9 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- The values come from the Census Bureau's Survey of Construction and Building Permits Survey, so each carries sampling error; the Census Bureau publishes its size and revises earlier months in later releases.
- Permits are the housing units authorized by building permits in places that issue permits. A start is the digging for the foundation of a building; a completion is a building ready for use. Total counts include buildings of 2 to 4 units; the lines for buildings of 5 units or more and for single-family houses do not add up to it.
- The values are annual rates: the number of units that would be authorized, started or completed in a year at the pace of the month, after the Census Bureau's seasonal adjustment.
- The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values the Census Bureau publishes; a change is in percent.
- This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Indicators. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau., Housing units authorized in permit-issuing places, all units, seasonally adjusted annual rate, through September 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many new homes are authorized by building permits in the United States?", https://500metrics.com/housing-starts/permits.
Can the data be downloaded?housing-starts-permits.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 801 rows, to , 14,226 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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