Staff Report
Published Jan. 29, 2013

Upstate communities issued 32% more residential building permits last year than they did in 2011, according to new data from Tennessee-based construction analyst The Market Edge Inc.

Despite the overall increase, four Upstate counties saw permits decline: Abbeville County, down 37.1% at 22; Laurens, down 11.3% at 47; Oconee, down 11.3% at 173; and Pickens, down 30.9% at 172.

Across the Upstate, 3,491 residential building permits were issued, Market Edge said. Greenville County reported the largest share with 1,869, an increase of 45%. Spartanburg County reported 680 permits, up 35.7%, and Anderson County’s residential building permits were up 52.8% at 414.

Statewide, the valuation of residential construction was up 26% in 2012 at more than $3.4 billion, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of permits issued across the state was up 20.7% at 18,856.

Residential permit valuation

The chart shows valuation of private residential construction permits issued in the Upstate’s metropolitan areas.

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau