When it comes to residential construction in Atlanta, it just keeps getting better. In 2016, the metro Atlanta area experienced a 14% year-over-year increase in housing starts.
Atlanta isn’t often referred to as “Hotlanta” just for the weather, nor for the many activities and events that take place there. Atlanta is a popular city for many reasons, and in 2016, new residential construction continued to add the “hot” to Atlanta. With more than 22,000 housing starts on file with HBW in 2016, this southern city has continued to grow in new residential construction. In fact, since 2011 there has been consistent upward momentum, with 2016 having the most new residential construction permits on file in five years.
ATL Residential Construction Permits 2011-2016
In a recent article by the Atlanta Business Chronicle several planned and new residential projects around metro Atlanta were highlighted, with some of the largest projects taking place in the counties of Gwinnett, Cobb and Cherokee. Those same counties were on HBW’s top five for residential construction in 2016 and continue to be areas to watch – Gwinnett County had the most housing starts of any county in the Atlanta area last year, and Cobb County had a 64% year-over-year increase in new residential construction. While Gwinnett County experienced a 10% year-over-year increase in housing starts in 2016, its upward climb to the top started years prior. Since 2011, residential construction has been on the rise and climbing in Gwinnett:
Gwinnett County Residential Permits 2011-2016
Other areas that may not have as many housing starts but show great potential for growth based on % change from year to year are the counties of Banks, Carroll and Rockdale. Here’s a look at the counties with the greatest percentage of growth in new residential construction from 2015 to 2016:
ATL Top 5 Counties for Growth 2016 (%)
Since growth in housing starts from year to year does not signify the greatest amount of construction, we narrowed down the highest volume of residential permits to five counties. Out of the 24 counties reviewed, Gwinnett (as noted above) took the top spot. Next in line was the county of Forsyth; although Forsyth has remained steady without any significant growth over the last year, it ranked second highest of metro Atlanta counties with 2,865 residential construction permits on file with HBW in 2016. Another county with high volume but limited growth was Fulton. Last year, Fulton County experienced an 8% dip in housing starts while still ranking third with more than 2,400 permits on file for the year. From 2011 to 2015, residential construction was steadily rising in Fulton County, and it continues to be the leading county for higher value construction (>$500k); it will most definitely be an area to watch in the coming year. Cherokee and Cobb counties closed the top chart in fourth and fifth with 1,995 and 1,601 permits respectively.
ATL Top 5 Counties for Total Resid. Permits – 2016
Information utilized for the graphs and 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.