U.S. Housing Starts Fell 5.2% in September, Missing Expectations by a Wide Margin
As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on October 20, 2026.
September housing starts fell 5.2%, missing expectations, with single-family and multifamily both lower. Homebuilders feel it first, and the Fed just got another soft data point.
U.S. HOUSING STARTS SLUMP, MISSING EXPECTATIONS U.S. housing starts fell 5.2% in September to an annualized 1.221 million units, well below the 1.305 million expected. Single-family starts declined 4.6%, while multifamily construction dropped 6.7%. Building permits slipped https://t.co/xjBRTLOs3Y [Quoted @DeItaone]: US SEP HOUSING STARTS -5.2% TO 1.221M; CONSENSUS +2.0%
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September's housing starts came in at an annualized 1.221 million units, missing expectations and signaling a broad retreat across both major construction categories.
Single-family and multifamily construction both declined on the month, leaving no corner of the new-home market unscathed.
Building permits, a forward-looking gauge of construction activity, also slipped, pointing to continued softness in the pipeline.
For the Federal Reserve, this is another soft data point as policymakers weigh the pace and direction of rate policy. Homebuilders feel elevated borrowing costs first, so keep an eye on the sector.