Housing Starts Rise 3.9 Percent

The U.S. Census Dept. said November housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 555,000. This is 3.9 percent above the revised October estimate of 534,000, but 5.8 percent below the November 2009 rate of 589,000. Single-family housing starts in November were at a rate of 465,000, 6.9 percent above the revised October figure of 435,000. The November rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 72,000.

November building permits were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 530,000. This is four percent below the revised October rate of 552,000 and is 14.7 percent below the November 2009 estimate of 621,000. Single-family authorizations in November were at a rate of 416,000; three percent above the revised October figure of 404,000. Permits for buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 94,000 in November.

New Privately Owned Housing Units Started

(Thousands of units, seasonally adjusted annual rate)

Period Total 1 Unit 5 Units or more Northeast Midwest South West November 2010₁ 555 465 72 79 110 269 97 October 2010₂ 534 435 88 81 95 263 95 September 2010₂ 601 447 148 69 97 301 134 August 2010 614 432 168 75 111 289 139 July 2010 550 427 103 75 92 275 108 November 2009 589 504 76 66 107 303 113

1-Preliminary; 2-Revised; Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census