Over the first three months of 2026, there were 214,655 permits issued nationwide to construct new single-family homes. This was down 7.6% from the first quarter of 2025. However, multifamily permits grew 7.1% to 121,404 total units over the first quarter of the year.
At a state level, 12 states recorded year-over-year increases in single-family permits in March, with gains ranging from 18.6% in Alabama to 0.2% in Minnesota. Ten states issued the highest number of single-family permits, which accounted for 63.7% of all single-family permits issued nationwide. Texas led the country with 35,231 single-family home permits issued at the end of Q1 2026.
Elevated financing costs, ongoing affordability challenges and softer builder sentiment continued to weigh on single-family construction activity, while multifamily permitting remained supported by demand for rental housing.
