Construction permit activity for single-family homes in the U.S. declined in April for the fourth month in a row. This trend points to a “broader residential construction slowdown for 2025,” according to a report released Monday by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
The association reported that 320,259 single-family permits were issued over the first four months of the year, which is a 4.7% decline compared to April 2024’s year-to-date mark of 336,124.
Regionally, only the Northeast saw a year-over-year increase in single-family permit volume over that four-month period. But the Northeast’s 5.7% gain was not enough to offset a 6.1% decline in the South region, a 5.6% decrease in the West and a 0.6% dip in the Midwest.
Only 18 states posted increases in single-family permitting from January to April, led by Hawaii with a 27% gain. New Mexico had the steepest decline at 27.5%.
While multifamily construction hasn’t experienced as steep of a slowdown to start the year, the 154,668 multifamily permits issued through April still represents a 1.5% decline from April 2024’s year-to-date level of 157,076, according to NAHB.
Alaska, the third-least populous state, saw a steep 312.5% rise in multifamily permits over the first four months of 2024. The Last Frontier had 99 permits issued as of the end of April compared to 24 over the first four months of 2024.
New York, the fourth-most populous state, has had the biggest decline in multifamily permit activity, with permits declining 58.7% year over year from 14,389 to 5,946, per the NAHB report.
