January's 22 percent decrease in total construction starts in the Midwest, which included a 30.8 percent drop in single-family housing production, forced both U.S. totals downward.

The U.S. Commerce Department reported that a 22 percent decrease in total construction starts in the Midwest in January served as the catalyst to a 2 percent drop in the U.S. total. The seasonally annual rate nationwide in the first month of the year was 1.065 million units.

Likewise, a 30.8 percent drop in single-family housing production in the Midwest, dragged January's single-family housing production down 6.7 percent nationwide. The seasonally adjusted annual rate was 678,000 units. However, multifamily starts rose 7.5% to 387,000 units.

In the other regions, total housing production in January fell 3.5 percent in the Northeast and 3.4 percent in the West but increased 6.5 percent in the South.