10 cities with the lowest construction activity in 2011

Detroit saw the lowest levels of new home construction activity in 2011, according to a recent analysis by Trulia. The real estate data site looked at the number of new construction permits issued per 1,000 existing housing units in 100 metropolitan areas nationwide to evaluate the impact of construction activity on a metro relative to its size.

The list of the 10 metro areas with the least construction activity in 2011, along with the average number of permits per 1,000 housing units, includes:

1. Detroit (0.86)
2. Long Island, N.Y. (1.65)
3. Providence, R.I. (1.70)
4. Springfield, Mass. (1.77)
5. Chicago (1.83)
6. Cleveland (1.85)
7. New Haven, Conn. (1.90)
8. Dayton, Ohio (1.95)
9. Toledo, Ohio (2.00)
10. Ventura County, Calif. (2.02)

Geographically, new home construction activity was lowest in New England, the Great Lakes, South Florida and portions of coastal California.

Trulia economist Jed Kolko points to employment and home prices as the two biggest factors determining new home construction hotspots. Many of the top 10 areas with the most construction activity — also covered by Trulia — have seen above-average employment growth, and home prices have not dropped as much as in other regions.

To see the rest of the Trulia data, click here.