Based on the latest Building Activity Trend Reports for new residential construction in 2023, the Lone Star State has continued to reflect a year-over-year decline in construction.  From January through December 2023, there were approximately 73,685 new residential construction permits added to the HBW database for Texas, reflecting a 16 percent year-over-year decrease in new residential construction activity.  Out of the four major Metro areas reviewed (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio), both Houston and Dallas carried the highest volume of housing starts, with more than 80 percent of all new residential construction permits in Texas originating from those areas. 

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

Houston

Last year, Houston carried the greatest volume of housing starts (34,301 permits) in comparison to other Texas metro areas reviewed, having experienced a 7 percent year-over-year decrease in new residential construction activity. Out of the five counties that make up the Houston area, nearly 50 percent of all new home construction took place in Harris County, where there was close to a 3 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction that resulted in 16,555 new permits on record with HBW.

Dallas

In Dallas, there were 25,741 new residential construction permits on record for 2023, reflecting a 15 percent year-over-year decrease in construction.  Out of the six counties that make up the Dallas area, the greatest concentration of new permits originated from the counties of Tarrant (7,549 permits) and Collin (7,202 permits) where there were year-over-year decreases in new home construction of 14 percent and 10 percent respectively.

Austin

Last year, there were approximately 6,995 new residential construction permits added to the HBW database for the Austin area, reflecting a 43 percent year-over-year decrease in new home construction.  Out of the four counties included in the Austin-area report, Travis County carried nearly half of all new residential construction activity, having 3,394 new permits on record with HBW for the one-year period.

San Antonio

Last year, there were approximately 6,650 new residential construction permits on record for the San Antonio area, reflecting a 22 percent year-over-year decrease in new permits.  Out of the three counties that make up the San Antonio area, the bulk of construction activity took place in Bexar County where there were nearly 4,200 new permits, reflecting a 14 percent year-over-year decrease in new home 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.