According to data from the Survey of Construction, [1]the National Association of Home Builders says single-family starts in 2018 were 4% higher than the units started in 2017, coming in at 881,076.
That figure is double the amount that started in 2011, but still 49% less than the 1.7 million starts in 2007.
Of all Census divisions, new single-family unit starts exceeded 100,000 in 2018 in the South Atlantic, West South Central, and Mountain Divisions. The three divisions represent 21 states and accounted for nearly 62% of all new single-family starts last year.
The Pacific Division saw 98,760 new single-family starts while the East North Central Division reported 78,858 units were started. Eleven percent of all single-family housing starts can be attributed to the Pacific Division. The divisions of East South Central, West North Central, Middle Atlantic, and England account for 18% of new single-family housing starts.
Data also found that each division grew at a different paces, as four of the nine divisions grew faster than the national average. The New England and Mountain Division led the way with 13% increases, followed by the West South Central Division with an 8% increase, and the South Atlantic Division with a 4% increase.
The other five divisions reported growth slowed when compared to the national average. The West North Central Division reported a 14% decline in single-family starts, and was followed by East South Central 9% decline.
No growth was reported in the Middle Atlantic Division, while the East North Central Division grew at just 2% and Pacific Division rose by 3%.
A report by Zillow [2]last month found that the construction of new single-family homes has yet to recover to normal following the Great Recession, which also expects construction shortages to continue until 2022.
Zillow states that single-family housing starts have averaged more than 1 million units a month, and reached its peak of more than 1.8 million in 2006 before falling during the Great Recession.