More than a third of single-family housing starts in the U.S. last year were concentrated in the South Atlantic region, according to an analysis released Monday by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Among the nine Census divisions, the South Atlantic region — which includes seven states on the Eastern Seaboard, spanning from Delaware to Florida, plus West Virginia — accounted for 344,313 of the 1,009,315 new single-family units that went under construction in 2024.
That 34% share by the South Atlantic division dwarfs the 19% slice of the pie held by the second-place West South Central region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
The Mountain division — which includes states in the Mountain Time Zone, as well as Nevada — ranked third at 12%. The Pacific region, which includes the West Coast states plus Alaska and Hawaii, was fourth with 99,166 housing starts, or 10%.
The other five Census divisions accounted for 252,235 units, or 9% fewer housing starts than the South Atlantic region alone.
The NAHB analysis noted that nationwide housing starts increased 7% year over year in 2024, “despite persistently high mortgage rates, elevated financing costs for builders and a shortage of buildable lots.”
“Despite regional disparities, the overall national trend in 2024 reflected a resilient housing market, even in the face of ongoing economic and supply-side challenges,” the report stated.
