Housing Starts
Housing starts count the privately-owned housing units on which construction has begun, marked from the start of foundation excavation and reported as a seasonally adjusted annual rate in thousands. Because residential construction is among the first sectors to respond to interest rates, it serves as a leading indicator and a key transmission channel for Fed policy.
Latest reading
As of June 2026, Housing Starts (Housing starts (SAAR)) stands at 1.43M — up from 1.20M the prior reading. Above 1,600K SAAR marks a construction boom; 1,200K-1,600K is healthy, and readings below 1,000K signal a weak, recessionary housing market. Starts should track building permits with a short lag — divergence hints at shifting builder sentiment. Single-family starts are the more rate-sensitive component; the YoY change shown alongside frames whether activity is accelerating or fading. Series history runs from 1959 to present.
Sources, methodology & freshnessLast updated 2026-07-24 · Open ↓Close ↑
Housing starts (SAAR)
- YoY %
- 3.5%
Next release: Jul 24, 2026
Full history
Starts (SAAR)
Year-over-year %
The annual change in starts. Shaded zones split growth (green, above 0%) from decline (red, below 0%) — housing is one of the earliest sectors to turn, so sustained red here tends to lead the broader cycle.
Methodology & data
Housing Starts is sourced from Census via the Federal Reserve's FRED service (US Census Bureau via FRED (HOUST), monthly, seasonally adjusted annual rate). We pull the complete history, chart it on a monthly basis, overlay SPY for context, and generate a dated plain-English reading from the latest release — with no smoothing or adjustment beyond what the chart legend states.
Every reading is stamped with its release date, last updated 2026-07-24. Maintained and reviewed by Yuriy Matso; see our methodology for the standards every series on the site is held to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Housing Starts?
Housing starts count the privately-owned housing units on which construction has begun, marked from the start of foundation excavation and reported as a seasonally adjusted annual rate in thousands. Because residential construction is among the first sectors to respond to interest rates, it serves as a leading indicator and a key transmission channel for Fed policy.
How do you read Housing Starts?
Above 1,600K SAAR marks a construction boom; 1,200K-1,600K is healthy, and readings below 1,000K signal a weak, recessionary housing market. Starts should track building permits with a short lag — divergence hints at shifting builder sentiment. Single-family starts are the more rate-sensitive component; the YoY change shown alongside frames whether activity is accelerating or fading.
Where does the Housing Starts data come from?
US Census Bureau via FRED (HOUST), monthly, seasonally adjusted annual rate. We chart the full history and publish a dated, plain-English reading with every release; the raw series is downloadable as CSV at /data/indicators/housing-starts.csv.
How often is Housing Starts updated?
Housing Starts is a monthly series from Census, refreshed here as soon as a new release posts to FRED.
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