Single-Family Permits Hold Steady in April

Economics
Published

Over the first four months of 2024, the total number of single-family permits issued year to date (YTD) nationwide reached 336,124. This is an increase of 25.3% on a year-over-year basis over the April 2023 level of 268,205.

Single-family permits were up in all four regions YTD in April. The range of permit increase spanned 36.4% in the West to 12.6% in the Northeast. The Midwest was up by 27.2%, and the South was up by 22.7% in single-family permits during this time.

For multifamily permits, three out of the four regions posted declines. The Northeast — the only region to post an increase — was up by 51.2%, while the West posted a decline of 36.4%, the South declined by 27.9%, and the Midwest declined by 11.6%.

At the local level, below are the top 10 metro areas that issued the highest number of single-family permits.

Top 10 Largest Single-Family Markets April 2024 - # of Units YTD, NSA YTD % Change
(Compared to April 2023)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 18,828 22%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 16,404 29%
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 11,056 68%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 9,398 27%
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 6,746 9%
Austin-Round Rock, TX 6,322 31%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 5,369 27%
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN 4,873 9%
Jacksonville, FL 4,519 29%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 4,488 -16%

For multifamily permits, below are the top 10 local areas that issued the highest number of permits.

Top 10 Largest Multifamily Markets April 2024 - # of Units YTD, NSA YTD % Change
(Compared to April 2023)
New York-Newark-Jersey City-NY-NJ-PA 18,811 85%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 9,161 16%
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 6,003 -17%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,237 -10%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 4,244 -36%
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 4,225 -45%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 4,134 -24%
Austin-Round Rock, TX 4,128 -32%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 3,875 3%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria-DC-VA-MD-WV 3,766 8%

Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington, NAHB’s assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis, provides more state-by-state analysis in this Eye on Housing post.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Safety

Nov 28, 2025

Keep Workers Safe and Warm on Winter Jobsites

With Fall set in across the country and winter rapidly approaching, it is important to know the dangers of cold stress and the best ways to stay safe and warm on your jobsites.

Economics

Nov 26, 2025

The No. 1 Factor Driving Home Values

Square footage, curb appeal and bedroom count only tell part of the story when it comes to the value of a single-family home. Arguably, the biggest factor is where the home is located.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Nov 26, 2025

Property Taxes by State – 2024

Nationally, across the 87 million owner-occupied homes in the U.S., the average amount of annual real estate taxes paid in 2024 was $4,271, according to NAHB analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey.

Economics

Nov 25, 2025

Share of New Homes with Decks Edges Lower

The share of new homes with decks edged down from 17.6% in 2023 to a new all-time low of 17.4% in 2024, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the HUD/Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC).

Economics

Nov 25, 2025

Building Material Prices Continued to Rise in September

Aggregate residential building material prices rose at their fastest pace since January 2023 in the latest Producer Price Index release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Input energy prices increased for the first time in over a year, while service price growth remained lower than goods.