NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose to 6.10 percent this week -- a 15-month high -- from last week's 6.03 percent, a Freddie Mac survey said Thursday.

In the year-ago period, the 30-year mortgage averaged 5.69 percent.

The average rate on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages rose to 5.65 percent, up from 5.62 percent the previous week. A year ago, the loan averaged 5.07 percent.

"Despite the gradual rise in mortgage rates over the last two months, housing starts were actually up in September highlighting the resiliency of the housing market," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist. "As a matter of fact, housing directly contributed to real GDP growth of 19 percent in the first quarter of the year and 23 percent in the second quarter."

Five-year adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 5.59 percent, compared to 5.57 percent the previous week. There is no data available for a year-to-year comparison because Freddie Mac only began tracking the 5-year loans this year.

One-year adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 4.89 percent, up slightly from 4.85 percent the week before. At this time last year, the one-year loan averaged 4.02 percent.

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For a look at potential effects of higher rates, click here.