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Total housing starts fell 2.0% in June. Weakness in the single-family sector was partially lessened by a 10.3% rise in the multifamily sector.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n WASHINGTON \u2013 Overall housing starts fell 2.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.56 million units in June from an upwardly revised reading the previous month, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A June reading of 1.56 million housing starts represents the number that would begin development if June\u2019s pace continued for a full year.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Within the overall number, single-family starts decreased 8.1% in June, to a 982,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate \u2013 its slowest pace since June 2020. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, increased 10.3% to an annualized 577,000 pace.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSingle-family starts are retreating on higher construction costs and interest rates, and this decline is reflected in our latest builder surveys, which show a steep drop in builder sentiment<\/a> for the single-family market,\u201d says Jerry Konter. \u201cBuilders are reporting weakening traffic as housing affordability declines.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhile the multifamily market remains strong on solid rental housing demand, the softening of single-family construction data should send a strong signal to the Federal Reserve that tighter financial conditions are producing a housing downturn,\u201d says NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. \u201cPrice growth will slow significantly this year \u2013 but a housing deficit relative to demographic need will persist through this ongoing cyclical downturn.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts are 4.4% lower in the Northeast, 4.7% higher in the Midwest, 11.1% higher in the South and 0.4% lower in the West.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Overall permits \u2013 an indication of future building activity \u2013 decreased 0.6% to a 1.69 million unit annualized rate in June, with single-family permits down 8.0%. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n