EconoIndicators

Housing Starts At a Glance
Seasonally Adjusted

• Housing Starts: 791,000
• Monthly Change: Down 4.5%
• Year-to-year Change: Down 38%
• 1-Family Monthly Change: Down 3.3%
• Housing Completions: 1,043,000
• Monthly Change: Down 10.2%
• Year-to-year Change: Down 25.6%
• 1-Family Monthly Change: Down 7.7%
• Building Permits: 708,000
• Monthly Change: Down 12.0%
• Year-to-year Change: Down 40.1%
• 1-Family Monthly Change: Down 14.5%

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

NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION IN OCTOBER 2008
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential
construction statistics for October 2008:
BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in October were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 708,000.
This is 12.0 percent (±1.8%) below the revised September rate of 805,000 and is 40.1 percent (±1.6%) below the revised October
2007 estimate of 1,182,000.
Single-family authorizations in October were at a rate of 460,000; this is 14.5 percent (±1.5%) below the September figure of
538,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 218,000 in October.
HOUSING STARTS
Privately-owned housing starts in October were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 791,000. This is 4.5 percent (±16.0%)* below
the revised September estimate of 828,000 and is 38.0 percent (±7.7%) below the revised October 2007 rate of 1,275,000.
Single-family housing starts in October were at a rate of 531,000; this is 3.3 percent (±9.5%)* below the September figure of 549,000.
The October rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 247,000.
HOUSING COMPLETIONS
Privately-owned housing completions in October were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,043,000. This is 10.2 percent
(±11.9%)* below the revised September estimate of 1,161,000 and is 25.6 percent (±7.3%) below the revised October 2007 rate of
1,401,000.
Single-family housing completions in October were at a rate of 760,000; this is 7.7 percent (±9.2%) below the September figure of
823,000. The October rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 269,000.

Housing Starts – October 2008 [PDF]

Housing Starts – October 2008 [Excel]

Source: Department of Commerce, Census Bureau