August Was Robust for Single-Family Permits

Single-family permits during the first eight months of the year rose 6.9% with most of the gains posted in the Midwest, South, and West regions. Simultaneously, permits for multifamily construction saw a perhaps pandemic induce decline of 6.2% compared with the comparable 2019 year-to-date period.

Between August 2019 YTD and August 2020 YTD, 34 states saw growth in single-family permits issued while 15 states and the District of Columbia registered a decline. Georgia recorded no change during this time. South Dakota recorded the highest growth rate during this time at 32.9% from 1,838 to 2,442 while single-family permits in the District of Columbia declined by 29.3%, from 123 in 2019 to 87 in 2020. The 10 states issuing the highest number of single-family permits combined accounted for 61.5% of the total single-family permits issued.

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