US housing starts rose 7.2% month-on-month in January 2026 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.487 million units, up from a downwardly revised 1.387 million in December and well above consensus expectations of 1.35 million. This was the third consecutive monthly gain, bringing housing starts to their highest level since February 2025.
By category, multi-family starts surged 29.1% to 406,000 units, the strongest pace in four months, while single-family starts edged down 2.8% to 935,000 units.
Regionally, construction activity increased sharply in the South, up 11.4% to 810,000 units, and in the Northeast, which jumped 47.4% to 196,000 units. In contrast, starts declined in the West by 7.5% to 307,000 units and in the Midwest by 10.8% to 174,000 units.
