Distributional channel
Monthly Housing Event
Distributional reporting on the monthly federal housing release — Census Housing Starts, Building Permits, and New Residential Sales. Regional construction patterns, affordability context, and the generational homeownership divergence.
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Census Bureau releases May housing starts, building permits, new home sales data
Release date: 2026-06-18
The Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday released the May 2026 report on new residential construction—including housing starts and building permits—alongside the latest figures on new single-family home sales. The twin reports offer a national snapshot of homebuilding and new-home pricing at a moment when elevated mortgage rates and a deep housing shortage continue to strain affordability.