Atlanta Residential Construction Annual Review – 2021

A report on permit data for new residential construction in the Atlanta area from January through December 2021

The stats are in, and HBW Building Activity Trend Reports have been finalized for new home construction in the Atlanta area.  According to the most recent report, there were 28,300 new residential construction permits added to the HBW database for the Metro Atlanta area last year, reflecting an impressive 33 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction. 

Since 2018, new residential construction in the Metro Atlanta area has been steadily and slowly declining, with the total number of permits on record slightly decreasing year after year. Upon review of the latest figures from 2021, it looks like the area is rebounding, resulting in Atlanta’s first year-over-year increase in new home construction since 2018.

When reviewing the reports from a county-by-county perspective, there are a few counties where new residential construction appeared to increase significantly last year… For example, in Fulton County there were nearly 2,600 housing starts last year, reflecting a 53 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction.  Additionally, Fayette County climbed out of its three-year decline, having a hefty 67 percent year-over-year increase in housing starts last year which resulted in approximately 715 new residential construction permits on record.  Another county that previously demonstrated a declining market (since 2019) and came out strong last year is Dawson County; in Dawson there was a 72 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction, resulting in more than 470 new permits on record with HBW.

When reviewing permit data to identify counties carrying the highest concentration of new home construction, the three counties that topped the list include Gwinnett, Fulton and Forsyth; all three counties demonstrated year-over-year increases ranging from 16 percent to 53 percent and have a combined total of approximately 9,480 permits, which reflects about 34 percent of all new home construction in the Atlanta area last year.

Gwinnett County led the Metro Atlanta area by having the highest total number of new permits on record with HBW for the one-year period. Last year, there were more than 4,500 new residential construction permits added to the HBW database for the area, reflecting a 21 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction.

While Fulton County (2,598 permits), ranked second-highest for total new permits on record in 2021, it was #1 for higher value residential construction (value greater than $500k) as approximately 18 percent of all new permits held values greater than $500k.

Finally, Forsyth County appears to be gaining upward momentum from the declining market that was evident from 2017-2019.  In 2020, the market started looking up as there had been a 10 percent year-over-year increase in new home construction, and in 2021 the upward pattern continued with a 16 percent year-over-year increase, resulting in 2,376 new residential construction permits during the one-year period.

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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