Single-family housing starts declined in April as builders faced continued economic uncertainty and affordability challenges, including higher construction costs, ongoing labor shortages and elevated financing expenses. The latest housing starts and permits data suggest that the overall construction pipeline remains uneven across regions and property types.

Overall housing starts decreased 2.8% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.47 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau. This pace reflects the number of housing units builders would begin over the next 12 months if April’s activity were sustained.

Within the total, single-family starts decreased 9.0% to a 930,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate and were down 2.4% compared to April 2025. On a year-to-date basis, single-family starts are down 5.1%. Given recent volatility, the three-month moving average provides a clearer signal, rising to 958,000 units.

Multifamily starts, which include apartment buildings and condominiums, increased 10.3% from March to April to an annualized 535,000 pace. The three-month moving average for multifamily construction has trended higher to 481,000 units, and activity is 19.7% higher compared to year-earlier levels.

Regionally, on a year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 16.6% higher in the Northeast, 1.8% higher in the South, 0.4% lower in the West, and 2.9% lower in the Midwest. For single-family starts, the Midwest was the only region to post an increase, rising 5.2% and reflecting the residential construction strength in the region.

The total number of housing units under construction stood at 1.3 million in April, down 8.5% from a year earlier. Single-family homes under construction stood at 588,000 units, a 7.0% year-over-year decline. Multifamily units under construction declined to 687,000, down from peaks above 1 million units in December 2023 and 9.8% lower than a year ago.

Completions of single-family homes have slowed to an annual rate of about 903,000 units, reflecting ongoing challenges in the residential construction sector. This marks a 7.0% decline from a year earlier. However, multifamily completions for buildings with five or more units were up 6.4% year over year to a 529,000-unit pace. On a year-to-date basis, total completions across both sectors are down 11.2%.

Overall permits increased 5.8% to a 1.44-million-unit annualized rate in April. Single-family permits decreased 2.6% to an 872,000-unit rate and are down 5.5% compared to April 2025. Multifamily permits increased 21.8% to an annualized 570,000 pace and are up 9.2% compared to April 2025. Looking at regional permit data on a year-to-date basis, total permits were 14.2% higher in the Northeast, 7.3% higher in the Midwest, 0.7% higher in the West, but 6.7% lower in the South.