HBW Quarterly Report: Metro Atlanta Residential Construction (Q3-2021)

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A review of new residential construction permit data for the Metro Atlanta area from January through September 2021

Things are looking up in the Atlanta area, and by “up” I mean the residential construction market.  After three years of a slow decline in activity, new home construction appears to be climbing again in Atlanta.  From January through September of this year, there have already been approximately 22,430 new permits added to the HBW database for the Metro Atlanta area, reflecting a 42 percent increase in new home construction in comparison to the same time last year.

The counties with the highest concentration of new residential construction activity for the nine-month period include:

  • Gwinnett County – Last year, Gwinnett County climbed out of a two-year decline in new home construction by having a 17 percent year-over-year increase in new permits during 2020.  This year, the upward pattern appears to be holding as there have been 3,515 new residential construction permits through Q3-2021, reflecting a 39 percent increase in new home construction in comparison to the same time last year.  
  • Forsyth County – Forsyth County had been experiencing a decrease in housing starts year after year since 2016 until last year when the market took a turn for the better; in 2020, Forsyth exhibited a 10 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction, and through the third quarter of this year the upward trend has continued. As of Q3-2021, there have been nearly 1,975 new permits added to the HBW database for Forsyth County, reflecting a 38 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction.
  • Fulton County – Since the start of this year (thru Q3), Fulton County has experienced a 95 percent year-over-year uptick in new home construction, resulting in 1,895 new permits on record with HBW. The area appears to be recovering from a two-year (2019 and 2020) decline in the market, and it also ranks #1 for higher value housing starts, having 328 new permits with construction values in excess of $500k.
  • Cherokee County – Not far behind Fulton County, there have been 1,827 new residential construction permits added to the HBW database for Cherokee County through Q3, reflecting a 14 percent increase in comparison to the same time last year.
  • Henry County – Henry County ranked #5 for new home construction through Q3-2021, having 1,546 new permits on record for the nine-month period; this reflects a 50 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction.


Information utilized for the above listed figures for Metro Atlanta residential construction was directly derived from HBW construction data reports. To gain access to the HBW database and receive custom and detailed reports on the latest residential and commercial building activity in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma, please contact HBW for details.

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