| JAN. 2012 | DEC. 2011 | CHANGE | JAN. 2011 | CHANGE | |
| Housing starts* | 699,000 | 689,000 | up 1.5% | 636,000 | up 9.9% |
| Housing completions* | 530,000 | 602,000 | down 12% | 509,000 | up 4.1% |
| Building permits* | 676,000 | 671,000 | up 0.7% | 568,000 | up 19% |
| Total spending* | $827 billion | $827.6 billion | down 0.1% | $772 billion | up 7.1% |
| Unemployment rate | 17.70% | 16% | up 1.7 points | 22.50% | down 4.8 points |
| Architecture Billings Index | 50.9 | 51 | down 0.1 | 50 | up 0.9 |
*annualized rate
Sources: US Census Bureau, Associated General Contractors of America, American Institute of Architects