Construction spending in October rose 1.4 percent above the revised September figure of $860.4 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Spending in October totaled $872.1 billion, a 9.6 percent year-over-year gain.

As The Real Deal reported last month, the September figures showed the first gain in spending following a large drop in July and another fall in August. But even with the declines over the summer, the first 10 months of 2012 have seen construction spending reach $707.4 billion — a 9.3 percent year-over-year increase. [more]

Following two months of declines, U.S. construction spending in September rose 0.6 percent above the revised August figure of $846.2 billion, according to a release sent today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Total construction spending last month totaled $851.6 billion, which also marks a 7.8 percent year-over-year gain. [more]

Privately-owned housing starts rose 34.8 percent in September, compared to the same period in 2011, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Bureau cautioned that the figure was within a range of plus or minus 18.2 percent. There was an estimated total of 872,000 housing starts in September, a 15 percent above August’s 758,000. Building permits also rose 45.1 percent in the same period; single-family permits rose 6.7 percent. Housing completions saw an increase of 13.8 percent (plus or minus 16.2 percent) above the September 2011 rate, with a seasonally adjusted total of 683,000. — Alexander Britell

The housing market still has a pulse, experts say. Purchases of new U.S. single-family homes slipped 0.3 percent month-over-month and 27.7 percent year-over-year to a seasonally adjusted rate of 373,000 in August, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Despite the slight fall from July, when the revised rate came in at 374,000, the numbers remain close to the two-year high. [more]

Tom Porcelli, RBC’s chief economistShowing some positive signs, the number of nationwide sales of newly built, single-family homes posted a 3.6 percent month-over-month rise in July, according to data released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Homes were sold at a seasonally adjusted rate of 372,000 (see video after the jump). [more]

In May sales of new single-family homes jumped 7.6 percent, month-over-month, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 369,000, U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development numbers reveal. The data, released today, also show a 19.8 percent increase, year-over-year.

“May’s sales report is a welcome sign that the market has returned to a more solid growth path following lackluster reports in March and April, and is keeping in touch with our expectations for continued, steady improvement through the end of this year,” David Crowe, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders, said in a separate statement. [more]

Housing construction slowed in May but signs point to a bright future for builders. A report released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau found total housing starts declined 4.8 percent in May from April. However, at 708,000 the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts stood 28.5 percent above the figure recorded in May 2011. [more]

Sales of new single-family homes rose 3.3 percent month-over-month in April 2012 and 9.9 percent year-over-year, according to a release issued by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. April saw new home sales at a seasonally adjusted rate of 343,000 units.

“Today’s report is representative of the kind of modest but consistent gains that we expect to see in new-home sales through the remainder of 2012,” said David Crowe, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders, in a separate release. [more]

Nationwide construction spending increased 5.9 percent in March compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The positive growth comes in contrast to a 3.2 percent decline in public spending compared to last March and a 1 percent drop from February of this year. Despite dwindling government investment, private spending was up in both residential and non-residential construction, signifying a possible improving economic climate. [more]

There are now more than 19 million residents in Florida, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida, whose population grew by 1.36 percent from April 2010 to July 2011, has the fourth-most residents of any state in America. New York grew 0.45 percent in the same period, and continues to have the third-most-populous state. The U.S. population grew by 2.8 million in the 15-month period. [SFBJ] [more]