Building permits in the United States fell by 3.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.467 million in March 2024, revised from a preliminary estimate of 1.458 million. This latest decline follows a 2.3% uptick in February, plunging permits to their lowest point since last September and signaling sustained sluggishness in the housing market, influenced by historically high borrowing costs. Single-family authorizations declined by 4.7% to a four-month low of 983 thousand, while approvals for the volatile multi-segment were down by 1.4% to 484 thousand. Across different US regions, permit declines in the South (-0.3% to 774 thousand), the Midwest (-13.9% to 199 thousand), and the Northeast (-20.3% to 161 thousand) offset gains in the West (6.1% to 333 thousand). source: U.S. Census Bureau

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1467 Thousand in March from 1523 Thousand in February of 2024. Building Permits in the United States averaged 1371.52 Thousand from 1960 until 2024, reaching an all time high of 2419.00 Thousand in December of 1972 and a record low of 513.00 Thousand in March of 2009. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Building Permits - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Building Permits - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2024.

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1467 Thousand in March from 1523 Thousand in February of 2024. Building Permits in the United States is expected to be 1600.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2024-04-16 12:30 PM Building Permits Prel Mar 1.458M 1.523M 1.514M 1.51M
2024-04-23 11:30 AM Building Permits Final Mar 1.467M 1.523M 1.458M 1.458M
2024-05-16 12:30 PM Building Permits Prel Apr 1.467M


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Building Permits 1467.00 1523.00 Thousand Mar 2024
Building Permits MoM -3.70 2.30 percent Mar 2024
Construction Spending MoM -0.20 0.00 percent Mar 2024
Home Ownership Rate 65.70 66.00 percent Dec 2023
Housing Starts 1321.00 1549.00 Thousand units Mar 2024
Housing Starts MoM -14.70 12.70 percent Mar 2024
Housing Starts Multi Family 290.00 377.00 Thousand units Mar 2024
Housing Starts Single Family 1022.00 1129.00 Thousand units Mar 2024
New Home Sales 693.00 637.00 Thousand units Mar 2024
New Home Sales MoM 8.80 -5.10 percent Mar 2024

United States Building Permits
Building Permits refer to the approvals given by a local jurisdictions before the construction of a new or existing building can legally occur. Not all areas of the United States require a permit for construction.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
1467.00 1523.00 2419.00 513.00 1960 - 2024 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA


News Stream
US Building Permits Revised Higher, Still at 6-Month Low
Building permits in the United States fell by 3.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.467 million in March 2024, revised from a preliminary estimate of 1.458 million. This latest decline follows a 2.3% uptick in February, plunging permits to their lowest point since last September and signaling sustained sluggishness in the housing market, influenced by historically high borrowing costs. Single-family authorizations declined by 4.7% to a four-month low of 983 thousand, while approvals for the volatile multi-segment were down by 1.4% to 484 thousand. Across different US regions, permit declines in the South (-0.3% to 774 thousand), the Midwest (-13.9% to 199 thousand), and the Northeast (-20.3% to 161 thousand) offset gains in the West (6.1% to 333 thousand).
2024-04-23
US Building Permits Drop to 8-Month Low
Building permits in the United States fell by 4.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.458 million in March 2024, reversing the 2.3% increase observed in February and falling short of market expectations of 1.514 million, according to a preliminary estimate. Permits have reached their lowest level since July last year, signaling continued subdued activity in the housing market amid record borrowing costs. Single-family authorizations declined by 5.7% to a five-month low of 973 thousand, while approvals for the volatile multi-segment were down by 1.2% to 485 thousand. Across different US regions, permit declines in the South (-0.6% to 771 thousand), the Midwest (-14.7% to 197 thousand), and the Northeast (-20.8% to 160 thousand) offset gains in the West (5.1% to 330 thousand).
2024-04-16
US Building Permits Rise More than Initially Thought in February
Building permits in the United States rose by 2.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.524 million in February 2024, marking the highest level since August and revised slightly higher from a preliminary estimate of 1.518 million. Approvals for the volatile multi-segment surged by 5.1% to a rate of 492 thousand, up from January's over three-year low, while single-family authorizations also saw a 2.4% uptick to 1.032 million, reaching the highest level since May 2022. Across different US regions, permit gains in the Midwest (11.1% to 231 thousand) and the Northeast (34.9% to 201 thousand) offset declines in the South (-2.0% to 777 thousand) and the West (-7.1% to 315 thousand).
2024-03-25