Housing Starts – August 2008

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Housing Starts At a Glance
Seasonally Adjusted

Housing Starts: 895,000
Monthly Change: Down 6.2%
Year-to-year Change: Down 33.1%
1-Family Monthly Change: Down 1.9%
Housing Completions: 961,000
Monthly Change: Down 9.8%
Year-to-year Change: Down 35.8%
1-Family Monthly Change: Down 17%
Building Permits: 854,000
Monthly Change: Down 8.9%
Year-to-year Change: Down 36.4%
1-Family Monthly Change: Down 5.1%

Technorati Tags: housing starts, new residential construction, residential construction, home construction

NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION IN AUGUST 2008
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential
construction statistics for August 2008:
BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 854,000.
This is 8.9 percent (±1.5%) below the revised July rate of 937,000 and is 36.4 percent (±1.5%) below the revised August 2007
estimate of 1,343,000.
Single-family authorizations in August were at a rate of 554,000; this is 5.1 percent (±1.3%) below the July figure of 584,000.
Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 271,000 in August.
HOUSING STARTS
Privately-owned housing starts in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 895,000. This is 6.2 percent (±9.2%)* below
the revised July estimate of 954,000 and is 33.1 percent (±6.7%) below the revised August 2007 rate of 1,337,000.
Single-family housing starts in August were at a rate of 630,000; this is 1.9 percent (±8.9%)* below the July figure of 642,000. The
August rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 251,000.
HOUSING COMPLETIONS
Privately-owned housing completions in August were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 961,000. This is 9.8 percent (±11.5%)*
below the revised July estimate of 1,065,000 and is 35.8 percent (±7.7%) below the revised August 2007 rate of 1,498,000.
Single-family housing completions in August were at a rate of 676,000; this is 17.0 percent (±10.6%) below the July figure of
814,000. The August rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 269,000.