Single-Family Permits Declined in 2022

For 2022, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 972,180. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 12.5% below the 2021 level of 1,111,414.

Year-to-date ending in December, single-family permits declined in all four regions. The South posted a decline of 10.4%, while the Western region reported the steepest decline of 15.9%. The Northeast declined by 12.5% and the Midwest declined by 15.8% for single-family permits during this time. On the other hand, multifamily permits posted increased in all but one region, Northeast (-17.1%). Permits were 23.8% higher in the South, 12.7% higher in the Midwest, and 3.6% higher in the West.

Between December 2021 YTD and December 2022 YTD, New Mexico, Montana, and the District of Columbia saw growth in single-family permits issued. New Mexico recorded the highest growth rate during this time at 33.5% going from 5,492 permits to 7,331. Forty-eight states reported a decline in single-family permits during this time with Colorado posting the steepest decline of 30.0% declining from 34,244 permits to 23,965. The ten states issuing the highest number of single-family permits combined accounted for 63.5% of the total single-family permits issued.

Year-to-date, ending in December, the total number of multifamily permits issued nationwide reached 679,898. This is 9.9% ahead of the December 2021 level of 618,496.

Between December 2021 YTD and December 2022 YTD, 35 states and the District of Columbia recorded growth, while 15 states recorded a decline in multifamily permits. Georgia led the way with a sharp rise (130.2%) in multifamily permits from 12,973 to 29,863 while Pennsylvania had the largest decline of 71.0% from 29,901 to 8679. The ten states issuing the highest number of multifamily permits combined accounted for 63.4% 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 MarketsDecember 2022 (# of units YTD, NSA)YTD % Change
(compared to Dec 2021)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX                                                         47,633-9%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX                                                         43,409-13%
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ                                                         26,828-24%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA                                                         26,382-17%
Austin-Round Rock, TX                                                         21,358-13%
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC                                                         18,9870%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL                                                         16,194-9%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL                                                         15,667-19%
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN                                                         15,189-6%
Jacksonville, FL                                                         14,368-13%

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

Top 10 Largest MF MarketsDecember 2022 (# of units YTD, NSA)YTD % Change
(compared to Dec 2021)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA                                                         46,4963%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX                                                         33,87226%
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX                                                         28,15369%
Austin-Round Rock, TX                                                         22,661-14%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA                                                         21,5979%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA                                                         20,820176%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV                                                         20,64451%
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ                                                         20,54123%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA                                                         19,783-10%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI                                                         15,84012%

–BY DANUSHKA NANAYAKKARA-SKILLINGTON