Fueled by solid demand, single-family construction moved higher in December despite several headwinds facing the industry, including high mortgage rates, elevated financing costs for builders and a lack of buildable lots.

Overall housing starts increased 15.8% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.50 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the highest rate since February 2024.

The December reading of 1.50 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts increased 3.3% to a 1.05 million seasonally adjusted annual rate. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, increased 61.5% to a 449,000 pace.

Total housing starts for 2024 were 1.36 million, a 3.9% decline from the 1.42 million total from 2023. Single-family starts in 2024 totaled 1.01 million, up 6.5% from the previous year. Multifamily starts ended the year down 25% from 2023.

“Single-family home building increased 6.5% for 2024, as builders added more supply in a market continuing to face a housing affordability crisis due to elevated mortgage interest rates and higher construction costs,” said Carl Harris, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from Wichita, Kan. “Nonetheless, the industry expects to see a slight gain for single-family home building in 2025 because of a persistent housing shortage and ongoing solid economic conditions.”

“While December was a solid month for apartment starts, the sector ended 2024 down 25% in terms of total starts,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “In December, and on a three-month moving average basis, there were 1.7 apartments completing construction for every one apartment starting construction. Multifamily construction will stabilize later in 2025 as more deals pencil out, with the industry supported by a low national unemployment rate.”

Looking at regional housing starts data for 2024, combined single-family and multifamily starts were 9.1% higher in the Northeast, 0.1% lower in the Midwest, 5.2% lower in the South and 7.7% lower in the West.

Overall permits decreased 0.7% to a 1.48-million-unit annualized rate in December and were down 3.1% compared to December 2023. Single-family permits increased 1.6% to a 992,000-unit rate but were down 2.5% in December compared to the previous year. Multifamily permits decreased 5.0% to a 491,000 pace.

Looking at regional permit data for 2024, permits were 1.5% higher in the Northeast, 3.5% higher in the Midwest, 3.1% lower in the South and 6.6% lower in the West.

Total permits for 2024 were 1.47 million, a 2.6% decline from the 1.51 million total from 2023. Single-family permits in 2024 totaled 981,000 up 6.6% from the previous year, a positive sign for 2025.

The number of single-family homes under construction was down 5.3% from a year ago, at 641,000 homes. The number of apartments under construction was down 21% from a year ago, at 790,000. The count of apartments under construction peaked in July 2023 at 1.02 million and has been trending lower since that time.