Building Permits represent the number of authorizations granted by government units for the construction of new housing units. This is a key leading indicator for the housing market because a permit is required before construction can begin. It provides insight into future construction activity, employment in the building sector, and overall economic demand.
Data is collected by the U.S. Census Bureau from approximately 19,000 permit-issuing jurisdictions. It aggregates the total number of new housing units authorized for construction across the country.
| Date | Actual | Forecast | Surprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2026 | 1.90 | 2.00 | -0.10 |
| Feb 2, 2026 | -4.60 | 1.00 | -5.60 |
| Jan 13, 2026 | 2.80 | 1.00 | +1.80 |
| Nov 30, 2025 | -0.90 | -5.00 | +4.10 |
| Nov 2, 2025 | 7.20 | 0.80 | +6.40 |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 5.80 | -4.30 | +10.10 |
| Aug 31, 2025 | 5.40 | 4.50 | +0.90 |
| Jul 31, 2025 | -6.40 | 2.30 | -8.70 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 10.40 | -1.80 | +12.20 |
| May 29, 2025 | -15.60 | -2.30 | -13.30 |
| May 1, 2025 | 9.60 | 2.90 | +6.70 |
| Apr 1, 2025 | 0.70 | 3.90 | -3.20 |
| Mar 3, 2025 | 2.60 | 3.00 | -0.40 |
| Feb 3, 2025 | -5.60 | 3.20 | -8.80 |
| Jan 12, 2025 | 5.30 | — | — |
| Dec 1, 2024 | -5.20 | 1.70 | -6.90 |
| Oct 31, 2024 | 2.60 | -1.60 | +4.20 |
| Sep 30, 2024 | -5.30 | -6.80 | +1.50 |
| Aug 29, 2024 | 26.20 | -1.90 | +28.10 |
| Jul 30, 2024 | -13.80 | 1.20 | -15.00 |
| Jul 1, 2024 | -1.70 | -1.30 | -0.40 |
| May 29, 2024 | -1.90 | 1.50 | -3.40 |
| May 1, 2024 | -0.20 | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2024 | 14.90 | 4.10 | +10.80 |
| Feb 29, 2024 | -8.80 | 1.80 | -10.60 |
| Feb 1, 2024 | 3.70 | 6.20 | -2.50 |
| Jan 10, 2024 | -10.60 | 2.00 | -12.60 |
| Nov 29, 2023 | 8.70 | 3.40 | +5.30 |
| Oct 30, 2023 | -4.70 | 2.00 | -6.70 |
| Oct 1, 2023 | -6.70 | — | — |
| Aug 29, 2023 | -5.20 | 0.20 | -5.40 |
| Jul 31, 2023 | 3.50 | — | — |
| Jul 2, 2023 | -2.20 | — | — |
| May 29, 2023 | -2.60 | 1.60 | -4.20 |
| May 3, 2023 | 7.00 | — | — |
| Mar 29, 2023 | -9.00 | — | — |
| Feb 28, 2023 | -1.50 | — | — |
| Feb 1, 2023 | -7.20 | — | — |
| Jan 11, 2023 | 7.00 | — | — |
| Nov 29, 2022 | -10.70 | — | — |
| Oct 31, 2022 | 3.80 | — | — |
| Sep 29, 2022 | -1.60 | — | — |
| Aug 30, 2022 | 5.00 | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2022 | -2.30 | — | — |
| Jun 30, 2022 | -0.50 | — | — |
| May 30, 2022 | -8.50 | — | — |
| May 2, 2022 | 5.80 | — | — |
| Mar 29, 2022 | 10.50 | — | — |
| Mar 1, 2022 | -9.20 | — | — |
| Feb 3, 2022 | 0.60 | — | — |
