A review of new residential construction data in Texas based on permits added to the HBW database during 2020

There is no doubt that the year 2020 posed unprecedented challenges across all sectors, industries, and communities worldwide.  It was a year of many losses and transitions, and the construction industry faced challenges as contractors were forced to adapt operations and projects to what began as the “new normal” and is now considered simply “normal”.  

Despite the major and impactful struggles faced in the last year, new construction thrived in various areas, as demand continued and the market marched on.  When looking at new residential construction in Texas and the corresponding “Building Activity Trend Reports” from HBW, it is apparent that the four major Metro areas of Texas (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio) fared well despite the challenges of 2020.  From January through December 2020, there were approximately 85,550 housing starts added to the HBW database for Texas, reflecting a 14 percent year-over-year increase in new residential construction activity.  Out of the four major metropolitan areas reviewed, both Houston and Dallas carried the highest volume of housing starts, as more than 75 percent of all new residential construction permits in Texas originated from those areas. 

Here is a closer look at the total permits, annual percentage of growth and leading counties for new residential construction across Texas last year:

Houston

Last year, Houston carried the greatest volume of housing starts (36,927 permits) in comparison to other Texas metro areas reviewed, having experienced a 16 percent year-over-year increase in new residential construction activity. Out of the five counties that make up the Houston area, just about half of all new home construction took place in Harris County, where there was a 12 percent year-over-year increase in housing starts that resulted in approximately 18,640 new permits on record with HBW.

Dallas

In Dallas, there were 28,285 new residential construction permits on record for 2020, reflecting an 18 percent year-over-year increase in housing starts.  Out of the six counties that make up the Dallas area, the greatest concentration of new permits originated from the counties of Tarrant (8,821 permits) and Collin (7,331 permits) where there were year-over-year increases in new home construction of 20 percent and 28 percent respectively.

Austin

Last year, there were 12,745 housing starts in the Austin area, reflecting a 7 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction activity.  Out of the four counties included in the Austin-area report, Travis County carried more than half of all new residential construction activity, having 7,175 new residential permits on record with HBW for the one-year period.

San Antonio

Last year, there were approximately 7,590 housing starts in the San Antonio area, reflecting a 7 percent year-over-year increase in new residential construction permits.  Out of the three counties that make up the San Antonio area, the bulk of new construction activity took place in Bexar County where there were more than 5,000 housing starts, reflecting a 7 percent year-over-year increase in new residential construction.

To gain more information on the builders, homeowners and permits for the construction activity above, check out HBW for your copy of the latest 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.