U.S. Census Bureau: Monthly New Residential Construction, January 2023

Notice of methodology change: With the January New Residential Construction release on February 16, 2023, the Building Permits survey has changed its target universe from a 2014 basis to an annually updated universe. This change allows for more accurate and quicker coverage when jurisdictions change from not issuing building permits to issuing them. For additional details on this change and the impact on New Residential Construction, see our 2023 Methodology Change FAQs.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for January 2023:

Building Permits

Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,339,000. This is 0.1 percent above the revised December rate of 1,337,000, but is 27.3 percent below the January 2022 rate of 1,841,000. Single-family authorizations in January were at a rate of 718,000; this is 1.8 percent below the revised December figure of 731,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 563,000 in January.

Housing Starts

Privately-owned housing starts in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,309,000. This is 4.5 percent (±15.9 percent)* below the revised December estimate of 1,371,000 and is 21.4 percent (±10.6 percent) below the January 2022 rate of 1,666,000. Single-family housing starts in January were at a rate of 841,000; this is 4.3 percent (±16.4 percent)* below the revised December figure of 879,000. The January rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 457,000.

Housing Completions

Privately-owned housing completions in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,406,000. This is 1.0 percent (±9.8 percent)* above the revised December estimate of 1,392,000 and is 12.8 percent (±13.0 percent)* above the January 2022 rate of 1,247,000. Single-family housing completions in January were at a rate of 1,040,000; this is 4.4 percent (±10.4 percent)* above the revised December rate of 996,000. The January rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 349,000.

The February report is scheduled for release on March 16, 2023. View the full schedule in the Economic Briefing Room: www.census.gov/economic-indicators .  The full text and tables for this release can be found at https://www.census.gov/construction/nrc/index.html.

The original report can be read here.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau