In September 2026, building permits in the United States edged down 0.2% month-over-month to an annualized rate of 1.400 million units, slightly above market expectations of 1.390 million. Single-family permits declined 4% to 845,000, while authorizations for buildings with five or more units increased 5.9% to 503,000.
By region, permits dropped sharply in the West, down 10.2% to 283,000. In contrast, they rose in the Northeast by 13.3% to 145,000, in the Midwest by 0.5% to 213,000, and in the South by 1.5% to 759,000.
