Single-Family Permits Still Down in October

Industry News,

Originally Published by: LBM Journal — December 15, 2023
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(National Association of Home Builders)

Over the first ten months of 2023, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 773,526. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 10.7% below the October 2022 level of 865,815, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Year-to-date ending in October, single-family permits declined in all four regions. The range of permit decline spanned 8.6% in the Northeast to 16.1% in the West. The South declined by 8.7% and the Midwest declined by 11.2% in single-family permits during this time. For multifamily permits, the percentage decline spanned 12.0% in the South region to 26.0% in the Northeast. The West declined by 16.4% and the Midwest declined by 22.1% in multifamily permits during this time.

Between October 2022 YTD and October 2023 YTD, except for Hawaii (+18.6%) and Maryland (+7.9%), all the other states and the District of Columbia reported declines in single-family permits. The range of declines spanned 1.6% in New Hampshire to 47.8% in the District of Columbia. The ten states issuing the highest number of single-family permits combined accounted for 63.8% of the total single-family permits issued. Texas, the state with the highest number of single-family permits issued, declined 11.0% in the past 12 months while the next two highest states, Florida and North Carolina declined by 10.2% and 2.9% respectively.

Year-to-date, ending in October, the total number of multifamily permits issued nationwide reached 481,612. This is 16.3% below the October 2022 level of 575,671.

Between October 2022 YTD and October 2023 YTD, 12 states recorded growth, while 38 states and the District of Columbia recorded a decline in multifamily permits. Delaware (+64.9%) led the way with a sharp rise in multifamily permits from 373 to 615 while Wyoming had the largest decline of 80.9% from 1,016 to 194. The ten states issuing the highest number of multifamily permits combined accounted for 63.7% of the multifamily permits issued. Texas, the state with the highest number of multifamily permits issued, declined 21.4% in the past 12 months while the next two highest states, Florida and California declined by 9.0% and 1.5% respectively.

At the local level, below are the top ten metro areas that issued the highest number of single-family permits.

For multifamily permits, below are the top ten local areas that issued the highest number of permits.