NewsCoronavirus

Actions

US home construction drops 30.2% in April as virus rages

US home construction drops 30.2% in April as virus rages
Posted
and last updated

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home building plunged again in April, taken down by economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday that ground breakings plummeted 30.2% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 891,000.

Construction of single-family homes dropped 25.4% to an annual rate of 650,000.

The lockdowns and travel restrictions designed to contain the pandemic have brought economic life to a near standstill.

The unemployment rate is 14.7%, highest since the Great Depression.

The construction slump is likely to continue.

Building permits for new housing dropped 20.8% to an annual rate of 1.07 million.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Sunday

02/15/2026

Partly Cloudy

69° / 52°

0%

Monday

02/16/2026

Rain/Wind

61° / 44°

80%

Tuesday

02/17/2026

PM Showers

57° / 42°

40%

Wednesday

02/18/2026

Partly Cloudy

52° / 40°

24%

Thursday

02/19/2026

Showers

53° / 38°

48%

Friday

02/20/2026

Partly Cloudy

54° / 36°

12%

Saturday

02/21/2026

Partly Cloudy

60° / 40°

15%

Sunday

02/22/2026

Partly Cloudy

66° / 45°

2%