Ariel Skelley - Getty Images
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.