US building permits rose 4.8% month over month in December 2025 to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.455 million, revised data showed. This figure was slightly above the preliminary estimate of 1.448 million and marked the highest level since March 2025.
The overall increase was driven by a 20% surge in permits for multifamily buildings with five or more units, which climbed to 523,000—their strongest level since August 2023. In contrast, single-family permits fell 1.7% to 881,000.
Regionally, permits jumped in the Northeast (+42.7% to 167,000) and also increased in the Midwest (+6.6% to 210,000) and the West (+10.7% to 362,000). By comparison, permits in the South declined 4.1% to 716,000.
For 2025 overall, about 1.43 million building permits were issued nationwide, a decline of 3.5% from 2024.
