From Jan 2000; Blue - - single family units; Red - - two or more units eg. apartment buildings

US housing starts fell more than expected in December, while building permits unexpectedly jumped, signaling bad weather may have kept builders away from worksites. Work began on 557,000 houses at an annual rate, down 4 percent from November, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. Permits, a sign of future construction, climbed to the highest level in a year.

Building Permits

Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 653,000. This is 10.9 percent above the revised November rate of 589,000 and is 15.8 percent  above the December 2008 estimate of 564,000.

Single-family authorizations in December were at a rate of 508,000; this is 8.3 percent above the revised November figure of 469,000. Authorizations of units in building with five units or more were at a rate of 127,000 in December.

An estimated 571,600 housing units were authorized by building permits in 2009. This is 36.9 percent below the 2008 figure of 905,400.

Housing Starts

Privately-owned housing starts in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 557,000. This is 4.0 percent below the revised November estimate of 580,000, but is 0.2 percent above the December 2008 rate of 556,000.

Single-family housing starts in December were at a rate of 456,000; this is 6.9 percent  below the revised November figure of 490,000. The December rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 92,000. An estimated 553,800 housing units were started in 2009. This is 38.8 percent  below the 2008 figure of 905,500.

Housing Completions

Privately-owned housing completions in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 768,000. This is 11.2 percent below the revised November estimate of 865,000 and is 25.3 percent  below the December 2008 rate of 1,028,000.

Single-family housing completions in December were at a rate of 503,000; this is 11.1 percent below the revised November rate of 566,000. The December rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 245,000.

An estimated 796,000 housing units were completed in 2009. This is 28.9 percent  below the 2008 figure of 1,119,700.

Producer Prices

Producer/wholesale prices in the US rose at a slower pace in December, showing the economy is recovering without the immediate threat of inflation.

The 0.2 percent increase in prices paid to factories, farmers and other producers followed a 1.8 percent jump in November, according to Labor Department.

Excluding food and fuel, so-called core prices were unchanged.