Starts: Northeast and West benefit most
Data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau tell the story of two regions generating the lion's share of new residential construction in November: the Northeast and West.
The surprisingly strong housing start report, which showed a 9.3% increase over October, varied significantly by region. The biggest gain came from the West, where a 66.3% year-over-year increase in total housing starts was reported. The Northeast showed a 53.89% gain in total housing starts on a month-to-month basis.
While the national report was all positive, the Midwest actually showed declines in both a month-to-month and year-to-year basis for total and single-family starts. The biggest drop was a 20.7% decline in single-family starts on a year-to-year basis.
The Northeast and West showed positive growth in all four metrics, while the South was split -- total starts showed growth, while single-family starts declined 1.3% on a month-to-month basis.
November month-to-month housing-start % change
| Total | Single-family | |
| Northeast | 53.8% | 35.7% |
| Midwest | (18.2%) | (14.5%) |
| South | 4.1% | (1.3%) |
| West | 22.6% | 10.7% |
November year-over-year housing start % change
| Total | Single-family | |
| Northeast | 28.2% | 7.5% |
| Midwest | (16.7%) | (20.7%) |
| South | 24.3% | (3.3%) |
| West | 66.3% | 17.7% |