Single-Family Permits Up in October 2024  

Over the first ten months of 2024, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 846,446. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is an increase of 9.4% over the October 2023 level of 773,526.

Year-to-date ending in October, single-family permits were up in all four regions. The range of permit increases spanned 13.6% in the West to 7.2% in the South. The Midwest was up by 12.4% and the Northeast was up by 10.8% in single-family permits during this time. For multifamily permits, three out of the four regions posted declines. The Northeast, driven by New York, was the only region to post an increase and was up by 26.6%. Meanwhile, the West posted a decline of 30.1%, the South declined by 21.4%, and the Midwest declined by 5.0%.

Between October 2024 YTD and October 2023 YTD, 46 states posted an increase in single-family permits. The range of increases spanned 33.0% in Montana to 0.7% in Florida. New Mexico (-1.3%), the District of Columbia (1.4%), New Hampshire (-2.6%), Alaska (-4.4%), and Hawaii (-5.2%) reported declines in single-family permits. The ten states issuing the highest number of single-family permits combined accounted for 62.9% of the total single-family permits issued. Texas, the state with the highest number of single-family permits, issued 136,374 permits over the first ten months of 2024, which is an increase of 9.7% compared to the same period last year. The second highest state, Florida, was up by 0.7%, while the third highest, North Carolina, posted an increase of 7.9%.

Year-to-date ending in October, the total number of multifamily permits issued nationwide reached 403,422. This is 16.2% below the October 2023 level of 481,612.

Between October 2024 YTD and October 2023 YTD, 19 states recorded growth in multifamily permits, while 31 states and the District of Columbia recorded a decline. Rhode Island (+143.5%) led the way with a sharp rise in multifamily permits from 322 to 784, while Idaho had the biggest decline of 56.6% from 4,899 to 2,126. The ten states issuing the highest number of multifamily permits combined accounted for 62.9% of the multifamily permits issued. Over the first ten months of 2024, Texas, the state with the highest number of multifamily permits issued, experienced a decline of 24.6%. Following closely, the second-highest state in multifamily permits, Florida, saw a decline of 26.4%. California, the third largest multifamily issuing state, decreased by 31.2%.

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.