US housing starts rose 6.2% month-on-month in December 2025 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.404 million units, up from 1.322 million in November and well above market expectations of 1.33 million. This was the second consecutive monthly increase, pushing starts to their highest level since July and extending the rebound from October’s 15‑month low.
Single-family housing starts advanced 4.1% to 981,000 units, the fastest pace since February, while multi-family starts (buildings with five units or more) jumped 10.1% to 402,000 units, a three‑month high.
By region, starts rose sharply in the West, up 37.4% to 334,000 units, and also increased in the Northeast (5.6% to 152,000) and the Midwest (2.3% to 177,000). In contrast, starts in the South fell 2.8% to 741,000 units.
For the full year 2025, an estimated 1,358,700 housing units were started, a 0.6% decline compared with 2024.
