In 2020, housing starts in the USA increased by 5.2% vis à vis the preceding year’s seasonally adjusted figures to 1.669m units. According to preliminary figures published by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on 21 January, housing starts for detached houses increased by 27.8% to 1.338m units. This growth more than compensated for the reduced housing starts in the case of multi-family houses (-40.0% to 312,000 units). In terms of the twelve-month period, in December housing starts reached their highest level of the last twelve months. In the twelve months up to and including January (1.617m units), building starts had declined until April (934,000 units) compared to the twelve month period up to and including the preceding month, respectively. In the following months, gradual increases were recorded again.
Building approvals for living units last year increased by 17.3% to 1.709m units compared to the preceding year. Increases in approvals for detached houses (+30.4% to 1.226m units) and living units in two to four-family houses (+7.0% to 46,000 units) compensated for the decrease recorded in the case of multi-family houses (-7.8% to 437,000 units). In December, building approvals soared to their peak point of the year. In the twelve-month period up to January (1.536m units), approvals had decreased until April to 1.066m units before rising again in the months that followed.
