Multifamily housing starts jumped to highest level of 2025 in December | Construction Dive
Summary
Multifamily housing starts reached their highest level of 2025 in December, with a 10.1% month-over-month increase, despite a slight year-over-year decline. Overall housing starts also rose, but challenges remain in the market.
Why It Matters
Understanding the trends in multifamily housing starts is crucial for stakeholders in the real estate and construction sectors. This data provides insights into market conditions, potential investment opportunities, and the broader economic landscape affecting housing supply and demand.
Key Takeaways
- Multifamily housing starts increased by 10.1% in December 2025 compared to November.
- Year-over-year, multifamily starts are down 1%, indicating ongoing market challenges.
- Single-family home starts decreased by 7.4% year-over-year, reflecting a broader slowdown in the housing market.
- Economic uncertainties and rising construction costs continue to impact builders' confidence.
- Expectations for residential investment remain weak, although falling interest rates may provide some relief.
An article from Multifamily housing starts jumped to highest level of 2025 in December New apartment construction rose at the end of the year but was still down slightly from the same period in 2024. Published Feb. 19, 2026 Julie Strupp Senior Editor Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Add us on Google Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images First published on HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau reported a monthly rise in multifamily housing starts in the latest residential construction report released Wednesday, which buoyed the overall level of new residential projects. The Feb. 18 report also contains initial housing project numbers for November, which had not previously been released. Starts for buildings with five or more units increased 10.1% month over month in December — the highest level of 2025 — but dipped 1% year over year to a seasonally adjusted rate of 402,000. That number also represents an uptick from November’s 365,000 apartment starts. Combined housing starts came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.4 million in December. That’s a 6.2% increase from November — driven by strength in the West — and a 7.3% decrease compared to the same period last year. In November, they rose 3.9% from October. Single-family home starts clocked in at 909,600 in 2025, down 7.4% YOY. Overall in 2025, an estimated 1.4 million housing units were started, ticking down 0.6% from 2024. There was no real recovery in the housing market in 2025, acco...
