US building permits fell 4.7% month-on-month in January 2026, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.386 million, the lowest since August 2025, though the decline was less severe than the initial 5.4% estimate. Multi-unit permits plunged 12.4% to 458,000, while single-family permits edged down 0.6% to 876,000. Regionally, permits fell sharply in the West (-13.8% to 312,000), Northeast (-8.4% to 153,000), and South (-2.9% to 695,000), but rose 7.6% in the Midwest to 226,000. source: U.S. Census Bureau

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1386 Thousand in January from 1455 Thousand in December of 2025. Building Permits in the United States averaged 1374.06 Thousand from 1960 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 2419.00 Thousand in December of 1972 and a record low of 513.00 Thousand in March of 2009. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Building Permits - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Building Permits - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on March of 2026.

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1386 Thousand in January from 1455 Thousand in December of 2025. Building Permits in the United States is expected to be 1380.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Building Permits is projected to trend around 1100.00 Thousand in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-03-12 12:30 PM
Building Permits Prel
Jan 1.376M 1.455M 1.41M 1.433M
2026-03-19 12:00 PM
Building Permits Final
Jan 1.386M 1.455M 1.376M 1.376M
2026-04-17 12:30 PM
Building Permits Prel
Feb 1.386M


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Building Permits 1386.00 1455.00 Thousand Jan 2026
Building Permits MoM -4.70 4.80 percent Jan 2026
Construction Spending MoM -0.30 0.80 percent Jan 2026
Home Ownership Rate 65.70 65.30 percent Dec 2025
Housing Starts 1487.00 1387.00 Thousand units Jan 2026
Housing Starts MoM 7.20 4.80 percent Jan 2026
Housing Starts Multi Family 524.00 406.00 Thousand units Jan 2026
Housing Starts Single Family 935.00 962.00 Thousand units Jan 2026
New Home Sales 587.00 712.00 Thousand units Jan 2026
New Home Sales MoM -17.60 -6.80 percent Jan 2026


United States Building Permits
Building Permits refer to the approvals given by a local jurisdictions before the construction of a new or existing building can legally occur. Not all areas of the United States require a permit for construction.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
1386.00 1455.00 2419.00 513.00 1960 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Building Permits Drop Less than Initially Thought in January
US building permits fell 4.7% month-on-month in January 2026, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.386 million, the lowest since August 2025, though the decline was less severe than the initial 5.4% estimate. Multi-unit permits plunged 12.4% to 458,000, while single-family permits edged down 0.6% to 876,000. Regionally, permits fell sharply in the West (-13.8% to 312,000), Northeast (-8.4% to 153,000), and South (-2.9% to 695,000), but rose 7.6% in the Midwest to 226,000.
2026-03-19
US Building Permits Hit 5-Month Low
US building permits fell 5.4% month-on-month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.376 million in January 2026, missing market expectations of 1.41 million, preliminary estimates showed. This marked the lowest figure since August 2025, as permits for buildings with five or more units slumped 13.4% from a month earlier to 453,000, while single-family permits fell 0.9% to 873,000. Among regions, permits declined in the Northeast (-9.6% to 151,000), South (-3.5% to 691,000), and the West (-15.7% to 305,000), while it rose in the Midwest (9% to 229,000).
2026-03-12
US Building Permits Revised Higher
US building permits increased 4.8% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.455 million in December 2025, slightly above the preliminary estimate of 1.448 million, revised figures showed. The reading marked the highest level since March 2025. The gain was driven by a 20% jump in permits for multifamily buildings with five or more units, which rose to 523,000, the strongest level since August 2023. In contrast, single-family permits declined 1.7% to 881,000. Regionally, permits rose sharply in the Northeast (+42.7% to 167,000), and increased in the Midwest (+6.6% to 210,000) and West (+10.7% to 362,000), while falling 4.1% in the South to 716,000. For 2025 as a whole, approximately 1.43 million permits were issued, down 3.5% compared with 2024.
2026-02-20