While nonresidential construction activity contracted in 2020 and is projected for another decline in 2021, residential construction was strong last year. Led by a solid, double-digit gain in single-family starts, overall housing starts increased 5.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.67 million units, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.
The December reading of 1.67 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts increased 12% to a 1.34 million seasonally adjusted annual rate. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, decreased 13.6% to a 331,000 pace.
Total housing starts for 2020 were 1.38 million, a 7% gain over the 1.29 total from 2019. Single-family starts in 2020 totaled 991,000, up 11.7% from the previous year. Multifamily starts in 2020 totaled 389,000, down 3.3% from the previous year.
“Builder concerns about a changing regulatory landscape may have triggered many to move up their plans to pull permits and put shovels to the ground,” said Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from Tampa, Fla. “Our latest builder sentiment survey suggests somewhat softer numbers ahead due to rising building costs and an uncertain regulatory climate.”
“The 1.34 million single-family starts pace in December is the highest since September 2006,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “And while NAHB is forecasting further production increases in 2021, the gains will tempered by ongoing supply-side challenges related to material costs and delivery times, a dearth of buildable lots and regional labor shortages that continue to exacerbate affordability woes.”
