What goes down must come up? Definitely not always the case, but true this time for residential construction numbers. The Census Bureau’s latest report showed a rebound in December, with both housing starts and building permits moving higher after softer readings in prior months.

Privately owned housing starts rose 6.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.404 million, up from November’s revised 1.322 million pace. Despite the monthly gain, starts were 7.3% lower than December 2024 levels. Single-family starts increased 4.1% to 981k, while multifamily starts (buildings with five units or more) came in at 402k.

On the permitting side, activity also strengthened. Total building permits climbed 4.3% to an annual rate of 1.448 million, though that figure remains 2.2% below year-ago levels. Single-family permits slipped 1.7% to 881k, while multifamily authorizations rose to 515k, driving the overall monthly increase.

For the full year, an estimated 1.36 million housing units were started in 2025, down 0.6% from 2024. Permits totaled approximately 1.43 million, representing a 3.6% annual decline. The year-end data suggest a construction sector that regained some footing in December but remained modestly below last year’s pace overall.