WASHINGTON — Housing starts in the United States rose more than expected in June to touch a six-month high, and permits for future construction unexpectedly increased, but most of the growth came in apartment buildings, a government report showed on Tuesday.

The Commerce Department said housing starts increased 14.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 629,000 units, the highest level since January.

But May’s starts were revised down to a 549,000-unit pace, which was previously reported as a 560,000-unit rate.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast housing starts rising to a 575,000-unit rate. Compared to June 2010, residential construction was up 16.7 percent.

Despite June increase, housing starts are less than a third of their peak during the housing boom.

An overhang of previously owned homes on the market has left builders with little appetite to break ground on new projects and is frustrating the housing sector’s recovery two years after the end of the 2007-09 recession.

But demand for rental apartments, as Americans shun homeownership because of plummeting home prices, is stemming further declines in the housing market.

A survey on Monday showed that sentiment among home builders edged up in July from a nine-month low in June, but they saw no increase in prospective buyers.

Last month, housing starts for multi-family homes soared 30.4 percent to a 176,000-unit rate, while single-family home construction increased 9.4 percent to a 453,000-unit pace.

New building permits rose 2.5 percent to a 624,000-unit pace last month. Economists had expected overall building permits in June to edge down to a 600,000-unit pace.

Permits were boosted by a 6.9 percent rise in the multi-family segment. Permits for the construction of buildings with five units and more increased 8.2 percent to their highest level since October 2008. Permits to build single-family homes edged up 0.2 percent.

New home completions fell 1.7 percent to 535,000 units in June.

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