Oregon – Oregon is moving against the national housing current. While construction has slowed across much of the country, the state has now recorded two consecutive years of growth in new housing starts.
The gap is especially clear in 2026. Recent estimates for the first half of the year show Oregon housing starts rising 11.3% from the same period in 2025. Nationally, production fell 1.3%.
Governor Tina Kotek said the shift reflects a sustained effort to remove barriers, support construction and increase the supply of homes. When she entered office, housing production was declining both nationally and in Oregon, with the state falling even faster.
“I’m fighting to put housing within reach for all Oregonians. This upward trend demonstrates what’s possible when the state partners successfully with local government and the private sector with a shared vision and shared urgency, with or without a reliable federal government,” Kotek said.
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The administration says more than 50,000 future homes are now in Oregon’s production pipeline. That progress has come despite high interest rates and uncertain federal actions affecting state resources.
Mike Riddle, president of the Oregon Home Builders Association, called the increase encouraging but cautioned that Oregon’s housing shortage is far from solved.
“The recent increase in housing starts is a positive sign for builders and for families looking for a home,” Riddle said. “We appreciate the focus from the Governor and the Legislature on reducing barriers to production. There is still more work ahead to meet Oregon’s housing needs, and our industry looks forward to continuing that effort with state and local partners.”
The state has added several measures this summer. Oregon re-launched a permanent housing-construction lending program offering rates below those available in the private market. It also announced grants intended to support more than 8,000 future housing units inside the urban growth boundaries of several cities.
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Those efforts have been accompanied by groundbreakings and openings across Oregon, while state investments in shelter and transitional housing continue for people experiencing homelessness.
Two years of rising housing starts do not erase Oregon’s broader housing needs. But after entering Kotek’s term on a downward path, the state is now building in the opposite direction — and, for the moment, doing so while national production continues to slip.
