Oregon Housing Starts Climb 11.3% in First Half of 2026, Bucking National Slowdown

Oregon’s homebuilding sector posted a second consecutive year of growth in the first half of 2026, with housing starts up 11.3% year-over-year even as national housing production slipped 1.3% over the same period, according to figures released by Gov. Tina Kotek’s office.

State officials credited the gains to administrative efforts aimed at cutting regulatory red tape and clearing the way for new housing supply — a theme that will sound familiar to readers who’ve followed our ongoing coverage of Oregon’s and Washington’s competing approaches to permitting reform. More than 50,000 future homes are currently sitting in Oregon’s production pipeline, according to the state, a sign that the current pace of growth has room to continue if financing conditions cooperate.

The rebound follows a stretch when housing production was falling both in Oregon and nationally, making this year’s numbers notable less for their scale than for their direction: Oregon is now outperforming the country at a moment when most builders elsewhere are pulling back.

For contractors on the ground, the obvious follow-up questions are where this growth is concentrated (Portland metro, Bend, Salem, and the coast are all seeing different pressures), whether the labor pool can keep pace, and how tariff-driven material costs (see our companion piece on lumber pricing below) will interact with a market that’s finally moving in the right direction.

Source: KTVZ, “Oregon housing starts rise 11.3% in first half of 2026, outpacing national trend,” Aug. 17, 2026 — https://ktvz.com/news/2026/08/17/oregon-housing-starts-rise-11-3-in-first-half-of-2026-outpacing-national-trend/