Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,873,000, 9.1% above the revised November rate, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The December 2021 rate was 6.5% above the December 2020 rate of 1,758,000. Single‐family authorizations in December were at a rate of 1,128,000, a 2% increase above the revised November figure of 1,106,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 675,000 in December, the Census Bureau said.

An estimated 1,724,700 housing units were authorized by building permits in 2021, a 17.2% jump over the 2020 figure of 1,471,100.

Privately‐owned housing starts in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,702,000, 1.4% above the revised November estimate of 1,678,000 and 2.5% above the December 2020 rate of 1,661,000.

Single‐family housing starts in December were at a rate of 1,172,000, 2.3% below the revised November figure of 1,199,000. The December rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 524,000, the Census Bureau said.