Worker on construction site.
©Dan Dunkley - Getty Images

Even though builders have been saddled with higher material costs and labor and lot woes, homebuilding has been on the rise over the past year. Single-family permits, a gauge measuring future construction, have jumped about 30% from July 2020 to July of this year. The permits have increased in all four major regions of the U.S., led by the Northeast and the South, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ analysis posted on its Eye on Housing blog.

A map of the U.S. showing states with higher rates of single-family permits in yellow and states with lower rates in green.

The following 10 metro areas have issued the highest number of single-family permits over the past year:

  1. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
  2. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
  3. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.
  4. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga.
  5. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
  6. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.
  7. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N.C.-S.C.
  8. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.
  9. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tenn.
  10. Jacksonville, Fla.
Notice: The information on this page may not be current. The archive is a collection of content previously published on one or more NAR web properties. Archive pages are not updated and may no longer be accurate. Users must independently verify the accuracy and currency of the information found here. The National Association of REALTORS® disclaims all liability for any loss or injury resulting from the use of the information or data found on this page.