Permits Grew in First Half of 2018

In the first half of 2018, single-family permits grew 6.3 percent to 444,600 nationally, with the greatest growth in the Western U.S. 

The West's single-family permit growth was 14.2 percent annually, while the South had the greatest multifamily permit growth, 13.6 percent, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Meanwhile, only one-third of Midwestern states had an increase in single-family permits issued, and only two Northeastern states had growth. Of all states, Texas was top for permit growth in the first half of 2018, with 64, 879 permits issued year-to-date in June. The lowest was Washington, D.C., with 57 permits issued in that time. 

The 6.3 percent increase in the nationwide growth rate of year-to-date single-family permits, is largely due to the aggregate increase in single-family permits across the Western states. Out of the 13 which are classified as Western states, eight states recorded single-family permit growth exceeding the national average. A total of 15 states recorded growth rates higher than the national average. Eight of these came from the Western region of the county, six from the South, and one from Northeast. New Hampshire was the lone state to record single-family permit growth higher than the national rate from the Northeast region.

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