Major California markets including Los Angeles and San Francisco lagged behind most of the country when it came to housing construction permits in 2022—even as the nation’s quota declined for the first time since 2009.
According to a new report from Apartment List, the total number of housing units permitted for construction across the U.S. fell slightly last year, from 1.74 million in 2021 to 1.65 million in 2022. The total number of building permits issued in 2022 was still higher than in any year from 2007-2020, but it continues to lag the peaks seen prior to the 2000s housing bubble.
The report looked at both multifamily and single-family residential permitting in the country’s 50 largest metro areas, using a per capita basis.
L.A. and San Francisco came in at the bottom of the list at 39th and 40th, respectively, for permits per capita. L.A. in particular permitted around 21,500 new apartments and 11,000 new single-family homes—or about 2.5 new units per 1,000 residents.
Low levels of construction were also found in many Midwestern and Rust Belt metros, such as Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
Austin ranked no. 1 in 2022 with 18.3 new units permitted per 1,000 residents, more than triple the average rate across the 50 largest metros as a whole. The top five was rounded out by Raleigh, Jacksonville, Orlando and Houston.