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Construction
Building Permits Survey BUILDING PERMITS SURVEY
PURPOSE
To provide current data on new residential construction and additions, alterations,
and renovations to existing residential buildings. The United States Code, Title
13, authorizes this survey and provides for voluntary responses.
COVERAGE
All places issuing building permits for private residential structures. Over 98 percent of all privately-owned residential buildings constructed are in permit-issuing places
CONTENT
Data collected on permits issued for private projects include number and permit valuation of housing units authorized by type of structure. For residential additions, alterations and renovations, data are collected on the number of permits issued and the total valuation.
FREQUENCY
Data on permits for new construction are available monthly and annually since 1959; reported data are for activities taking place during the applicable reference period. Prior to 1959, data were collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Use of the current monthly sample began in 2004. Data on additions, alterations, and renovations were collected at various times since 1959, most recently beginning in January 2002.
METHODS
A mail-out/mail-back monthly survey of 9,000 selected permit-issuing places; and an annual mail-out/mail-back census of some 11,000 permit places that do not report monthly. The monthly sample of permit-issuing places was selected using a stratified systematic sample procedure. All permit places located in selected large metropolitan areas were selected with certainty. The remaining places were stratified by state and number of authorized units during three previous years. All places that authorized housing units above a cutoff level were selected. Remaining places were sampled at a rate of 1 in 10.
Monthly estimates are made for all permit-issuing places nationwide. If a survey report is not received, missing data on permits for new construction are imputed except for places selected for the Survey of Construction (SOC). For these places SOC permit data are used. Reported data on permits for new construction are seasonally adjusted by Census region and type of structure.
PRODUCTS
New Residential Construction press releases contain the first available permit data and are released on or about the 12th workday following the reference month. The reports contain the first available preliminary monthly estimates of the number of new housing units authorized. Data are shown by type of structure, at the national level and by Census region. All data are placed on the Census website at: www.census.gov/permits.
Revised monthly data are released on or about the 18th workday following the reference month. At that time, monthly estimates are available at the Census Division, State, metropolitan area, county, and permit-issuing place levels. Public use computer data files in are also available at that time. All data except estimates of alterations, repairs, and renovations are placed on the web-site shown above.
USERS
The Conference Board uses the residential data for developing the index of leading economic indicators. The Federal Reserve Board use the data to analyze national and regional economic conditions. The Federal Housing Finance Board and the Department of Housing and Urban Development use the data to evaluate housing programs.
Financial institutions use these statistics to estimate mortgage demand. Private businesses use them for market planning, material use, and investment analysis.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Provides a designated principal economic indicator and the only source of current
and consistent small area data on newly-authorized construction. Data are from
public records and not subject to confidentiality restrictions.
RELATED PROGRAMS
Survey of New Manufactured
(Mobile) Homes
Value of New Construction Put in Place
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You are here: Economic Programs Overview
Construction
Building Permits SurveyLast revised: Monday, 22-Jan-2007 09:41:51 EST
