Reference page
U.S. Home Furnishings & Housing Statistics
Current figures on new homes, housing activity, and online retail, gathered in one place for the people writing about how homes are made and lived in.
Last updated October 2, 2026
At a glance
Useful context for the home-goods market.
Home furnishing decisions tend to follow life changes: moving, buying a home, finishing a new build, or finally making a hard-working room feel settled. The figures below track those larger U.S. signals using the latest available releases from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
They are a practical reference for journalists, researchers, designers, retailers, and anyone looking for current context around housing and home-goods demand. Each statistic links directly to its original source.
Current statistics
Eight figures worth keeping close.
1.394M
housing units authorized by building permits
August 2026, seasonally adjusted annual rate. That was 2.7% below the revised July rate and 3.5% above August 2025.
U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly New Residential Construction, August 2026, released September 17, 2026
1.275M
privately owned housing starts
August 2026, seasonally adjusted annual rate. Single-family starts accounted for 918,000 of that total.
U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly New Residential Construction, August 2026, released September 17, 2026
1.128M
privately owned housing completions
August 2026, seasonally adjusted annual rate. Single-family completions were 816,000.
U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly New Residential Construction, August 2026, released September 17, 2026
684K
new single-family homes sold
August 2026, seasonally adjusted annual rate, up 6.4% from the July 2026 rate.
483K
new houses for sale
At the end of August 2026, equal to an 8.5-month supply at the current sales rate.
$393,700
median price of a new home sold
August 2026. The average sales price for the same month was $478,700.
$340.2B
U.S. retail e-commerce sales
Second quarter of 2026, seasonally adjusted. E-commerce sales rose 12.2% from the second quarter of 2025.
U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, second quarter 2026, released August 18, 2026
How to read these numbers
Housing activity and retail do not move in lockstep.
Construction permits, starts, and completions measure different points in the path to a new home. They are useful together because they show both what is beginning and what is becoming ready to live in. New-home sales and inventory add a view of buyer activity and available supply.
Online retail figures are broader than furniture or handmade goods alone. They show the role online purchasing plays across retail, not a forecast for any one category, maker, or business.
Methodology and sources
Where these statistics come from.
This page uses the latest published U.S. government releases available as of October 2, 2026. Seasonally adjusted annual rates are reported exactly as published. Dollar amounts and sales shares are not adjusted for price changes unless the source says otherwise.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly New Residential Construction, August 2026, released September 17, 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Monthly New Residential Sales, August 2026, released September 24, 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, second quarter 2026, released August 18, 2026
Citing this page
Wallace Wood Working, LLC. “U.S. Home Furnishings & Housing Statistics.” Updated October 2, 2026. https://landing.wallacewoodworkingllc.com/home-furnishings-statistics.
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