New-Single Family Home Starts in 2021 at Fastest Pace Since 2013

According to data recently released in the Survey of Construction (SOC), which is partially funded by the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), with further analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), new single-family starts expanded at a precipitous pace in 2021.

Nationwide, 1,133,145 new single-family units were started in 2021. That is 14% higher than those started in 2020. It is the fastest growth pace since 2013 and the highest count since the Great Recession.

According to the SOC, of all of the nine Census divisions, the South Atlantic, West South Central, and Mountain Divisions had the most new single-family units started in 2021. These 3-divisions represent 20 states and the District of Columbia. Combined, these three divisions accounted for more than two thirds of total new single-family housing starts in 2021.

Compared to the previous year (2020), five out of the nine divisions—the Middle Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, South Atlantic, and West North Central—had an acceleration in 2021. Meanwhile, the Mountain, East North Central, Pacific, and New England divisions experienced a deceleration in growth in 2021. Of note, the Middle Atlantic division grew by 26% in 2021, following a 9% decline in 2020.