Home building has ramped up over the last decade and notably accelerated sharply in 2020 during the pandemic, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Builders applied for 134% more single-family permits in 2020 compared to 2011. Permits are used as a gauge to measure future construction. Multifamily construction permits are 139% higher in that period.
Construction has increased the most in Texas, which nabs the top spot for activity with three out of the five largest single-family markets for housing permits.
The National Association of Home Builders identified the following markets as seeing the fastest growth in construction based on single-family permit growth from 2011 to 2020:
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas: 363,067 (total single-family permits from 2011-2020)
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas: 292,219
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga.: 196,745
- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.: 179,479
- Austin-Round Rock, Texas: 135,181
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N.C.-S.C.: 129,832
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W. Va.: 127,967
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.: 118,372
- Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tenn.: 108,311
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.: 103,117
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.: 97,224
The top three markets for multifamily permits between 2011 and 2020 have been in New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas; and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif.