Housing starts rise 16.9% in December, marking 13-year high

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grandriver/iStock(WASHINGTON) — More Americans broke ground on new homes last month, pushing housing starts to a 13-year high.The Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Friday that new home construction rose in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,608,000. That’s up 16.9% from November’s estimate, which was revised to 1,375,000.

December’s rate is also up 40.8% from the same time period in 2018.Overall, the government reported that an estimated 1,289,800 housing units were started last year, up 3.2 percent from 2018.Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.