Collage depicting Public Affairs themes - camera, spotlight, newsroom
purple card divider
DOC Home Page

purple card used as a divider Newsroom

purple card divider
Media Contacts

purple card divider

Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez
Secretary
Carlos M. Gutierrez

purple square used as divider Biography
purple square used as divider Speeches

purple card divider
Photo Gallery

purple square used as divider Photographic
Services



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 16, 2004


EVANS CHEERS RECORD SINGLE FAMILY HOME BUILDING PERMITS; MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION HIGHEST IN NEARLY SIX YEARS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald L. Evans today hailed the Commerce Department’s report of record high single-family home building permits and higher manufacturing production as yet more signs of the American economy on the up-swing.

“America’s homebuilders are shattering records because they know that more jobs and higher income means families feel financially secure to invest in a home,” Evans said. “At the same time, our nation’s manufacturing industry is gaining steam as production and employment continues to rise. President Bush is leading our nation in the right direction to grow this the economy and create more jobs.”

Housing Background

Single-family permits rose to 1.590 million pace, the highest on record. Overall, building permits jumped unexpectedly by 3.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.077 million units from a 2.006 million pace in April. It was the biggest monthly rise since October and the highest level in 30 years. The pace of construction has exceeded last year's 25-year high every month this year.

May Industrial Production Background

This month’s 1.1% gain came in above expectations and is the largest one-month increase since August 1998. The increase in production pushed capacity utilization up to 77.8%. Manufacturing industrial production increased by 0.9% in May. Manufacturing production rose 6.3 percent from the same month last year, the biggest 12-month increase since the year that ended in April 2000.



  US Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230
Last Updated: October 18, 2007 10:29 AM

Contact Secretary Gutierrez by e-mail at cgutierrez@doc.gov.
Direct inquiries about this page to webmaster@doc.gov.

Privacy Policy