The number of new residential construction projects begun in the U.S. increased by 1.5 percent between September and October, but remained 2.9 percent below the October 2017 number, according to statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday. The number of new single-family homes under construction decreased by 1.8 percent between September and October, while the number of residential projects with five or more bedrooms increased by 6.2 percent.