United States housing starts fall in September 2026

Housing starts in the United States totalled 103,800 in September 2026, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That was lower than the August 2026 figure of 111,400. Housing Market Group calculates the change at -6.8% from August to September 2026, based on the Census Bureau's figures.

The September result continues a decline through the summer and early autumn. In June 2026, starts reached 135,300, the highest monthly figure in the period covered here. They then eased to 125,700 in July 2026, fell further to 111,400 in August 2026 and dropped again to 103,800 in September 2026. Each month from June onward was below the month before, so September's total was the lowest of the recent run.

The pattern was different earlier in the year. In May 2026, starts stood at 107,800, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and then rose sharply to the June peak. September's figure of 103,800 was below the May level, so the summer gain has been fully reversed in the Census Bureau's monthly series.

The year-on-year comparison points the same way. In September 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau recorded 114,100 housing starts. Housing Market Group's calculation from those figures puts the change from September 2025 to September 2026 at -9.0%. That means construction activity, measured by new homes started, was lower in September 2026 than in the same month a year earlier, as well as lower than in the preceding month.

Housing starts count new residential construction projects that have broken ground, so they show how much new supply is entering the building pipeline rather than how many homes are being sold or what they cost. The figures here describe national totals. They do not show how activity varied between states or metropolitan areas, or how the United States compares with other countries over the same months.

Taken together, the U.S. Census Bureau figures show that housing starts in September 2026 were down on both August 2026 and September 2025. They also show a steady easing since the June 2026 high. Later monthly releases will show whether this downward run continues or levels off.