US housing starts fell 12.4% in July 2026 from the prior month, to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.239 million units. This decline was steeper than market expectations for a milder drop to 1.35 million units and left activity not far above the six-year low of 1.182 million units recorded two months earlier.
By type of construction, starts in multi-unit buildings plunged 15.6%, while single-family housing starts decreased 9.9%. Regionally, housing starts declined in the Midwest (down 27.6% to 173,000 units), the South (down 12.6% to 645,000 units), and the West (down 13.8% to 149,000 units). In contrast, starts rose in the Northeast, increasing 17.1% to 164,000 units.
