US single-family housing starts fell 4.6% in September; single-family building permits hit lowest rate since March 2023

The Commerce Department's Census Bureau reported a 4.6% monthly drop in US single-family housing starts in September 2026, to an annual rate of 859,000, according to Reuters. Permits for future single-family building fell 4% to their lowest rate since March 2023. Reuters described higher mortgage rates and unsold new homes as pressures on builders, though permits for multifamily projects rose.