Privately Owned Housing Starts, Permits, and Completions All Fall Month-Over-Month in April 2022

The U.S. Census Bureau reported on Wednesday (5-18-22) that privately‐owned housing starts in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 1,724,000. This is -0.2% below the revised March estimate of 1,728,000 but is 14.6% above the April 2021 rate of 1,505,000. Single-family housing starts in April were at a rate of 1,100,000; this is -7.3% below the revised March figure of 1,187,000. The April rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 612,000.

Building permits are the forward-looking portion of the report. In April, privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits were at a SAAR of 1,819,000. This is -3.2% below the revised March rate of 1,879,000 but is 3.1% above the April 2021 rate of 1,765,000. Single-family authorizations in April were at a rate of 1,110,000; this is -4.6% below the revised March figure of 1,163,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 656,000.

Privately‐owned housing completions in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,295,000. This is -5.1% below the revised March estimate of 1,365,000 and is -8.6% below the April 2021 rate of 1,417,000. Single‐family housing completions in April were at a rate of 1,001,000; this is -4.9% below the revised March rate of 1,053,000. The April rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 281,000.