This issue contains revised seasonally adjusted annual rates for new privately owned housing units started (tables 3 and 6), Questions regarding these data may be directed to William K. Mittendorf, Chief, Construction Starts Branch, Telephone 301-763-5731. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Postage stamps not acceptable; currency HOUSING STARTS AND BUILDING PERMITS Privately owned housing units were started in January 1979 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,656,000. This is 20 percent below the revised annual rate of 2,062,000 for December 1978 and 5 percent below the revised rate of 1,744,000 for January 1978. The January 1979 seasonally adjusted annual rate for single-family housing starts was 1,136,000 compared with the revised December 1978 rate of 1,529,000 units. The rate in January for units in apartment buildings with five units or more was 396,000 compared with the revised December rate of 412,000. The January rate for units in buildings with two to four units was 124,000. New privately owned housing construction was authorized in January 1979 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,363,000 units in the 14,000 permit-issuing places. cent below the revised rate of December 1978 and 11 percent below 1,526,000 for January 1978. This is 18 per 1,664,000 for the rate of New single-family units were authorized in January 1979 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 864,000 units compared with the revised December 1978 rate of 1,149,000. Units in apartment buildings with five units or more were authorized in January at an annual rate of 384,000 compared with the revised December estimate of 379,000. The January annual rate of permit authorized units in buildings with two to four units was 115,000. In interpreting changes in housing starts and building permits, note that month-to-month changes in seasonally adjusted statistics often show movements which may be irregular. It may take three months to establish an underlying trend for total starts and two months for total building permit authorizations. The statistics in this report are estimated from sample surveys and subject to sampling variability as well as errors of response and nonreporting. Estimated relative standard errors for preliminary data are shown in tables 1, 2, 4, and 5. An explanation of the reliability of the data appears in the appendix to this report. Housing starts and building permits data do not include mobile home units. Mobile home statistics are shown in table 6. |