New Residential Building Permits by Region: October 2002

The number of residential building permits issued nationwide during the first 10 months of this year was 6.5% greater than during January-October 2001, according to preliminary estimates by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Unit-permit totals for eight of the nine regions of the country were higher during January-October of this year than over the first 10 months of 2001. The Rocky Mountain states recorded 2.7% fewer permits through October of this year than during the same period of 2001.

Activity in the nation's largest-volume home building state, Florida, continued at a healthy pace. With 13.7% more permits issued through October of this year than during the first 10 months of 2001, Florida remains one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. And permit volume in runner-up Texas was growing solidly as well, up 9.6% compared with the 10-month total of a year ago. In addition, California, the third-largest market in permit volume throughout 2001, also recorded a 9.6% gain versus a year ago through October, after running consistently below the 2001 building pace during the first half of this year.

The number of residential units permitted for construction during the first 10 months of this year was greater than during January-October 2001 in 44 states. The decreases (in percentage terms) were in Colorado (-16.0%), Kansas (-11.0%), Nevada (-9.1%), North Carolina (-5.2%), South Dakota (-2.2%) and Maryland (-0.5%).