US building permits decreased 0.7% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.413 million in May 2026, below the market expectations of 1.42 million, preliminary figures showed. Permits for buildings with five or more units fell 3.5% to 474,000, while single-family permits increased 0.6% to 886,000. Regionally, permits dropped in the Midwest (-18.1% to 195,000), but rose in the Northeast (3.1% to 134,000), the South (1.6% to 760,000) and in the West (5.5% to 324,000). source: U.S. Census Bureau

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1413 Thousand in May from 1423 Thousand in April of 2026. Building Permits in the United States averaged 1374.63 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 June of 2026.

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1413 Thousand in May from 1423 Thousand in April of 2026. Building Permits in the United States is expected to be 1280.00 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 1300.00 Thousand in 2027 and 1280.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-28 12:30 PM
Building Permits Final
Apr 1.423M 1.363M 1.442M 1.442M
2026-06-16 12:30 PM
Building Permits Prel
May 1.413M 1.423M 1.42M 1.41M
2026-06-24 12:30 PM
Building Permits Final
May 1.423M 1.413M 1.413M


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Building Permits 1413.00 1423.00 Thousand May 2026
Building Permits MoM -0.70 4.40 percent May 2026
Construction Spending MoM 0.40 0.20 percent Apr 2026
Home Ownership Rate 65.30 65.70 percent Mar 2026
Housing Starts 1177.00 1392.00 Thousand units May 2026
Housing Starts MoM -15.40 -8.50 percent May 2026
Housing Starts Multi Family 284.00 486.00 Thousand units May 2026
Housing Starts Single Family 882.00 899.00 Thousand units May 2026
New Home Sales 622.00 663.00 Thousand units Apr 2026
New Home Sales MoM -6.20 3.40 percent Apr 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
1413.00 1423.00 2419.00 513.00 1960 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Building Permits Fall More than Expected
US building permits decreased 0.7% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.413 million in May 2026, below the market expectations of 1.42 million, preliminary figures showed. Permits for buildings with five or more units fell 3.5% to 474,000, while single-family permits increased 0.6% to 886,000. Regionally, permits dropped in the Midwest (-18.1% to 195,000), but rose in the Northeast (3.1% to 134,000), the South (1.6% to 760,000) and in the West (5.5% to 324,000).
2026-06-16
US Building Permits Revised Lower
US building permits increased 4.4% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.423 million in April 2026, below the preliminary estimate of 1.442 million, revised figures showed. Multi-unit permits, including buildings with five or more units, surged 17.2% to 491,000, while single-family permits declined 1.6% to 881,000. Regionally, permits rose in the South (4.6% to 748,000), the Midwest (12.3% to 238,000), and the Northeast (15% to 130,000), but fell in the West (-5% to 307,000).
2026-05-28
US Building Permits Jump in April
US building permits increased 5.8% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.442 million in April 2026, rebounding from a seven-month low of 1.363 million in March and exceeding market expectations of 1.39 million. Multi-unit permits, including buildings with five or more units, surged 21.8% to 570,000, while single-family permits declined 2.6% to 872,000. Regionally, permits rose in the South (5.4% to 756,000), the Midwest (11.7% to 238,000), and the Northeast (28.2% to 141,000), but fell in the West (-5.0% to 307,000).
2026-05-21