U.S. housing starts improved in December but permits & completions slipped

Posted on January 20, 2025   |  

Builders started 1,499,000 homes in December, up 15.8% from November but down 4.4% from December 2023.

Single-family home starts rose to 1,050,000, a 3.3% increase compared to November.

Construction began on 418,000 units in buildings with five or more units in December.

In 2024, a total of 1,364,100 homes were started, which is 3.9% fewer than in 2023.

Builders approved 1,483,000 housing permits in December, 0.7% less than in November and 3.1% lower than in December 2023.

Permits for single-family homes increased by 1.6% in December, reaching 992,000.

Builders approved 437,000 permits for units in buildings with five or more units in December.

Builders completed 1,544,000 homes in December, a drop of 4.8% from November and 0.8% from December 2023.

In 2024, 1,627,900 homes were completed, 12.4% more than in 2023.