Economy

Single-family permits fall 4.0% in September

The Tip Desk · October 20, 2026 · 1 min read

September 2026 permits weakened for single-family homes but rose for buildings with five units or more, while the direction of the monthly change in single-family starts remained uncertain.

Single-family housing permits fell 4.0% in September 2026 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 845,000 units, from a revised 880,000 in August. Permits for buildings with five units or more moved the other way, rising 5.9% to an annual rate of 503,000 units from a revised 475,000.

Single-family starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 859,000 units, against a revised 900,000 in August, a reported decrease of 4.6%. But the monthly change’s 90% sampling confidence interval included zero, leaving the direction of the actual change uncertain.

For buildings with five units or more, September starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 349,000 units, compared with 471,000 in September 2025—a 25.9% decrease. That year-over-year decline was statistically significant: its sampling confidence interval excluded zero. The monthly increase in permits therefore accompanied a substantially lower pace of starts than a year earlier.

Source: Census/HUD.