Economics

U.S. Housing Starts Rose to Fastest Pace Since 2006 in December

  • Single-family construction drove gains with fresh 14-year high
  • The full year saw work start on 1.38 million housing units
Contractors install a sliding door for a home under construction.Photographer: Michael Nagle/
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U.S. home construction starts rose in December to the best pace since late 2006 as builders responded to the robust demand for single-family housing.

Residential starts climbed by 5.8% to a 1.67 million annualized rate, according to government data released Thursday. That topped all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists that had a median forecast of 1.56 million and compared with an upwardly revised 1.58 million rate in November.