Single-Family Permits Down 31% in Q1 2023
Originally Published by: NAHB — May 15, 2023
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Over the first three months of 2023, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 191,695. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 31.1% below the March 2022 level of 278,189.
Year-to-date ending in March, single-family permits declined in all four regions. The Northeast posted a decline of 20.5%, while the West region reported the steepest decline of 40.9%. The Midwest declined by 30.2% and the South declined by 28.4% in single-family permits during this time. The South posted an increase of 17.0% in multifamily permits and while the other three regions posted declines. Multifamily permits in the West were down 7.4%, Northeast down 28.4%, and down in the Midwest by 14.7%.
Between March 2022 YTD and March 2023 YTD, all the states and the District of Columbia reported declines in single-family permits ranging from 0.8% in New Jersey to 67.8% in Montana. The ten states issuing the highest number of single-family permits combined accounted for 65.7% of the total single-family permits issued. Texas, the state with the highest number of single-family permits declined 36.6% in the past 12 months while the next two highest states, Florida and North Carolina declined by 26.1% and 19.3% respectively.
Year-to-date, ending in March, the total number of multifamily permits issued nationwide reached 152,417. This is 0.8% below the March 2022 level of 153,720.
Between March 2022 YTD and March 2023 YTD, 25 states and the District of Columbia recorded growth, while 25 states recorded a decline in multifamily permits. North Dakota led the way with a sharp rise in multifamily permits from 25 to 429 while Hawaii had the largest decline of 78.0% from 626 to 138. The ten states issuing the highest number of multifamily permits combined accounted for 66.0% of the multifamily permits issued.
At the local level, below are the top ten metro areas that issued the highest number of single-family permits.
| Top 10 Largest SF Markets | Mar-23 (# of units YTD, NSA) | YTD % Change (compared to Mar-22) |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 11,036 | -27% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 7,711 | -41% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 5,315 | -31% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 4,687 | -53% |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 4,533 | -20% |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 4,000 | -19% |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 3,428 | -47% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 3,182 | -15% |
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 3,177 | -34% |
| Raleigh, NC | 3,074 | -23% |
For multifamily permits, below are the top ten local areas that issued the highest number of permits.
| Top 10 Largest MF Markets | Mar-23 (# of units YTD, NSA) | YTD % Change (compared to Mar-22) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 8,478 | -38% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 6,654 | -10% |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 6,235 | 22% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 5,971 | 171% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 5,824 | 50% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 4,930 | 30% |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 4,473 | -18% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,792 | 1% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 3,258 | -37% |
| Jacksonville, FL | 3,173 | 8% |