Housing starts in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,246,000, 2.6% below the revised December estimate of 1,279,000 but 10.5% above the January 2016 rate of 1,128,000, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Single-family housing starts in January were at a rate of 823,000, 1.9% above the revised December figure of 808,000.
Building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,285,000, a 4.6% increase from the revised December rate of 1,228,000 and 8.2% above the January 2016 rate of 1,188,000. Single-family authorizations in January were at a rate of 808,000; this is 2.7% below the revised December figure of 830,000.
Housing completions in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,047,000, 5.6% below the revised December estimate of 1,109,000 and 0.9% below the January 2016 rate of 1,056,000. Single-family housing completions in January were at a rate of 800,000, 4.3% above the revised December rate of 767,000.
