US Home Construction Up 1.9% In September To 1.4 Million

A "sold" sign sits on a lot as new home construction continues in Westfield, Ind., Friday, Sept. 25, 2020. U.S. home construction rose a solid 1.9% in September after having fallen in August as home building remains one of the bright spots for the economy. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

U.S. home construction rose a solid 1.9% in September after having fallen in the previous month, as home building continues as one of the bright spots of the economy.

The increase last month pushed home construction to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.42 million homes and apartments after a 6.7% drop in August, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

Applications for building permits, a good barometer of future activity, rose an even stronger 5.2% to 1.55 million units.

After a plunge in the spring due to pandemic-related lockdowns, housing has staged a solid rebound as demand for homes with more space has grown and mortgage-rates have stayed at ultra-low levels.

Construction of single-family homes in September surged by 7.8%, offsetting a 14.7% drop in the smaller apartment sector. Single-family construction is now at its highest level since 2007.

Construction was up in every region of the country except the Midwest which registered a 32.7% plunge. Construction surged 66.7% in the Northeast with smaller gains of 6.2% in the South and 1.4% in the West.

Economists believe home building will continue to thrive in the months ahead.

โ€œStrong demand, low inventory and a record level of homebuilder confidence continue to support new home construction,โ€ wrote Nancy Vanden Houten of Oxford Economics.

The National Association of Homebuilders reported Monday that its survey of builder confidence climbed to a new record high of 85 in October, up from a September reading of 83.

(AP)



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