Housing starts fell in July as economic uncertainty, rising construction costs, labor shortages and elevated financing expenses continued to challenge builders. Overall housing starts decreased 12.4% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.24 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.
The July reading of 1.24 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts decreased 9.9% to an 808,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate and are down 15.7% compared to July 2025. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, decreased 16.8% to an annualized 431,000 pace and are down 8.9% compared to July 2025.
“Builders continue to face significant challenges from elevated construction costs and affordability pressures,” says Bill Owens, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and remodeler from Worthington, Ohio. “Higher mortgage rates are keeping many prospective buyers on the sidelines, while rising material, gas and diesel costs are adding to the cost of construction. These challenges are making it increasingly difficult for builders to deliver homes at prices that buyers can afford.”
