Nationwide housing starts rose 3.3% in November 2017 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.297 million units after a downwardly revised October reading, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. The reading is a post-recession high.

Single-family production rose 5.3% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 930,000, which also is the highest post-recession report. Year-to-date, single-family starts are 8.7% above their level over the same period last year. Meanwhile, multi-family starts fell 1.6% to 367,000 units after a strong October reading.

“The increase in single-family production is consistent with builder confidence gains, and shows builders are optimistic about new federal policies aimed to promote small business growth,” said Granger MacDonald, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Kerrville, Texas.

“The strong November reading indicates that builders are continuing to increase single-family production to meet growing demand for housing,” said Robert Dietz, NAHB’s chief economist. “With low unemployment and increasing owner-occupied household formation, single-family starts should continue to make gains in 2018.”

Regionally in November, combined single- and multi-family housing production rose 19% percent in the West and 11.1% in the South. Starts fell 12.9% in the Midwest and 39.6% in the Northeast.

For more information, visit www.nahb.org.