Housing Start Statistics

[VeloRider]

It looks like Omaha is on pace to reach 5,000 plus new housing units this year. It seems on par with the average the past few years. Hopefully Lincoln passes 2,000. Really suprised to see the high numbers for Sioux Falls. Fargo has slowed down quite a bit. Des Moines is still hot.
https://www.census.gov/construction/bps/msamonthly.html

I have been following development in Omaha and Lincoln for decades. To me, it's kind of interesting how Omaha keeps marching west with comaritively no development on the Iowa side. Thoughts on how far west growth will go? Will it stop at the Elkhorn river and move more south?

[Brad]

I have been following development in Omaha and Lincoln for decades. To me, it's kind of interesting how Omaha keeps marching west with comaritively no development on the Iowa side.

The SID's in Douglas and Sarpy country are responsible for the growth. I don't believe Council Bluffs has SID's and Lincoln had some problems with one SID early on and has stayed away from them for many years, although I hear that is finally starting to change. Omaha would be nowhere near the size it is today without the SID.

[VeloRider]

I wonder where Lincoln is getting SIDs? I though they pretty much annex every urban/suburban development next to them before it's developled... since Havelock anyway.

[Brad]

I wonder where Lincoln is getting SIDs? I though they pretty much annex every urban/suburban development next to them before it's developled... since Havelock anyway.

Not sure on the details of when and where they are going to do an SID. That said, its a way to grow at very little upfront cost to the city. An SID is basically their own city until its annexed.

[BRoss]

Thoughts on how far west growth will go? Will it stop at the Elkhorn river and move more south?

It's been said that the Elkhorn river will likely spell the end of westward expansion as we know it. The area between it and the Platte is flood-prone, which limits developments.

City planners will push development to the north, where we have a fair amount of space left in the county (until Dutch Hall Rd).

And of course growth will naturally continue to expand south along the I-80 corridor. Once the sewer connection opens up the land further south in Sarpy, that area will likely be hot. What is being planned for Platteview Road will probably add to that.

[Brad]

City planners will push development to the north, where we have a fair amount of space left in the county (until Dutch Hall Rd).

NW Douglas County needs a Sewer line built as well, but nothing as major as Sarpy.

[BRoss]

NW Douglas County needs a Sewer line built as well, but nothing as major as Sarpy.

I did not know that.

[TreeKiid]

Unless we have a really bad December for housing and apartment starts, we should pass the 6,000 unit mark for the annual count for the first time since 2005
https://www.census.gov/construction/bps ... 202111.xls

[Stargazer]

Maybe it's just because I drive through it all the time now, but it almost seems like northwest Omaha housing development is going at least as fast as the southwest. I think the ground between Military and Highway 36 along 156th will be fully graded for development within the next 3-4 years. That's about a 2 1/2 mile stretch. They're working a huge residential development south of Bennington Road right now.

[TreeKiid]

Here is where housing and multifamily unit starts stand 1/3 of the way through the year. I put Omaha April YTD ‘22 against previous years at the same point for comparison. All other numbers are YTD from Jan-Aprl ‘22

Omaha
April 22 YTD: 2518
April 21 YTD: 1483
April 20 YTD: 1398
April 19 YTD: 1200
April 18 YTD: 1975

Region
Lincoln: 1268
Sioux City: 131
Des Moines: 1904
Sioux Falls: 1894
Kansas City: 4323
Iowa City: 394
Minneapolis: 8951
St. Louis: 3056
Wichita: 1363

Peer and aspirational cities
Providence: 624
Bakersfield: 747
Dayton: 855
Milwaukee: 1154
Louisville: 1480
Birmingham: 1526
New Orleans: 1595
Madison: 1637
Pittsburg: 1641
Tulsa: 1661
Memphis: 1739
Cincinnati: 2153
Columbia SC: 2815
OKC: 2827
Greenville SC: 3498
Columbus OH: 3689
Provo-Orem UT: 3811
Richmond VA: 3820
Portland OR: 3930
Colorado Springs: 4088
Boise: 4310
Salt Lake City: 4556
Indianapolis: 6035
Raleigh: 8373
Nashville: 8580
Denver: 9139

Texas vs California
Austin: 16599
DFW: 27693
Houston: 26614
San Antonio: 8522

LA: 9568
Riverside: 5946
Sacramento: 3822
San Diego: 3514
San Francisco: 3213

[skinzfan23]

Thanks for the info...I always enjoy looking at these comparisons.

[Garrett]

That’s quite the impressive jump compared to last year, and good to see we’ve gotten ahead of Des Moines. Also interesting to see that Indianapolis is so high on the list as a Midwestern city

[TreeKiid]

The Census Bureau does a good in depth job and splits the data even further. https://www.census.gov/construction/bps/msamonthly.html About half of our starts this year have been multifamily. For instance this months total of 871starts was split 329SF to 540MF. We have probably had pent up demand for multifamily for a while. It appears that the apartment boom in Omaha will continue.
For Des Moines part, they have been consistently beating Omaha in single family starts.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Here is where housing and multifamily unit starts stand 1/3 of the way through the year. I put Omaha April YTD ‘22 against previous years at the same point for comparison. All other numbers are YTD from Jan-Aprl ‘22

Omaha
April 22 YTD: 2518
April 21 YTD: 1483
April 20 YTD: 1398
April 19 YTD: 1200
April 18 YTD: 1975

Region
Lincoln: 1268
Sioux City: 131
Des Moines: 1904
Sioux Falls: 1894
Kansas City: 4323
Iowa City: 394
Minneapolis: 8951
St. Louis: 3056
Wichita: 1363

Peer and aspirational cities
Providence: 624
Bakersfield: 747
Dayton: 855
Milwaukee: 1154
Louisville: 1480
Birmingham: 1526
New Orleans: 1595
Madison: 1637
Pittsburg: 1641
Tulsa: 1661
Memphis: 1739
Cincinnati: 2153
Columbia SC: 2815
OKC: 2827
Greenville SC: 3498
Columbus OH: 3689
Provo-Orem UT: 3811
Richmond VA: 3820
Portland OR: 3930
Colorado Springs: 4088
Boise: 4310
Salt Lake City: 4556
Indianapolis: 6035
Raleigh: 8373
Nashville: 8580
Denver: 9139

Texas vs California
Austin: 16599
DFW: 27693
Houston: 26614
San Antonio: 8522

LA: 9568
Riverside: 5946
Sacramento: 3822
San Diego: 3514
San Francisco: 3213

Great data info..

Thank you for posting this …

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Coyote]

Omaha hits new strides in construction activity
Total value of building permits climbed last year beyond $1.15 billion

The signs are plentiful: newly framed houses around town, freshly bulldozed land, tower cranes dotting the skyline. Now a recently released report reinforces that construction activity in Nebraska’s largest city has reached new heights in several ways.

According to the City of Omaha’s latest annual “Building and Development Summary,” the total estimated value of building permits issued by the Planning Department last year climbed to roughly $1.15 billion — the highest yearly tally on record for the city and second highest when accounting for inflation.

2022 could finish even stronger

That price tag reflects construction ranging from houses and apartments to converted structures to new, altered or expanded properties containing office, retail, educational and other operations.

In all of last year, about 1,349 acres of land got the official green light for final platting, which meant the area was to be divided, parceled or otherwise prepared for new development. Not since 2005 had Omaha city leaders okayed that much ground to be platted, the report noted.

“Obviously people are investing in the community,” said City Planning Director Dave Fanslau. “It was a busy year, a historic year, just a lot of activity for the development and construction industries.” City officials expect 2022 to finish with as much or more permit activity, especially if the skyline-changing $600 million Mutual of Omaha downtown office tower gets out of the ground yet this year.

Because building permits and plat approvals are granted in early stages of a project, they’re good indicators of investment and economic growth to come. Many of the projects that got the go-ahead last year are now noticeable and changing the landscape of today.

Indeed, 2021 ushered in a burst of building that included downtown student dorm rooms, a riverfront science museum, senior apartments, hotels, schools, banks and an Amazon warehouse.

[Omaha Cowboy]

From the Nebraska Examiner article-

“According to the City of Omaha’s latest annual “Building and Development Summary,” the total estimated value of building permits issued by the Planning Department last year climbed to roughly $1.15 billion — the highest yearly tally on record for the city and second highest when accounting for inflation.

That price tag reflects construction ranging from houses and apartments to converted structures to new, altered or expanded properties containing office, retail, educational and other operations.”..

This is why I don’t buy the latest city population estimates just put out by the US Census indicating Omaha lost nearly 4000 residents from the “official” 2020 Census to this new 2021 “estimate”- roughly 491,000 down to 487,000..

These “adjust for Covid” after the fact estimates are BS to me. Even our metro only adding about 4000 in one year from 2020 to 2021 doesn’t look or feel right. And the reality of commercial, residential dwellings and private construction, plus the eye test- belies these Census numbers. They’re flawed..Especially as it relates to Omaha and our metropolitan area…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Garrett]

From the Nebraska Examiner article-

“According to the City of Omaha’s latest annual “Building and Development Summary,” the total estimated value of building permits issued by the Planning Department last year climbed to roughly $1.15 billion — the highest yearly tally on record for the city and second highest when accounting for inflation.

That price tag reflects construction ranging from houses and apartments to converted structures to new, altered or expanded properties containing office, retail, educational and other operations.”..

This is why I don’t buy the latest city population estimates just put out by the US Census indicating Omaha lost nearly 4000 residents from the “official” 2020 Census to this new 2021 “estimate”- roughly 491,000 down to 487,000..

These “adjust for Covid” after the fact estimates are BS to me. Even our metro only adding about 4000 in one year from 2020 to 2021 doesn’t look or feel right. And the reality of commercial, residential dwellings and private construction, plus the eye test- belies these Census numbers. They’re flawed..Especially as it relates to Omaha and our metropolitan area…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

It’s possible Omaha did have a slight covid population drop, most cities did. Now a lot of them are snapping back in the other direction as residents flood back or move from other parts of the country. The rental market in nyc is fully back to insane levels again even without the office market back.

[Omaha Cowboy]

From the Nebraska Examiner article-

“According to the City of Omaha’s latest annual “Building and Development Summary,” the total estimated value of building permits issued by the Planning Department last year climbed to roughly $1.15 billion — the highest yearly tally on record for the city and second highest when accounting for inflation.

That price tag reflects construction ranging from houses and apartments to converted structures to new, altered or expanded properties containing office, retail, educational and other operations.”..

This is why I don’t buy the latest city population estimates just put out by the US Census indicating Omaha lost nearly 4000 residents from the “official” 2020 Census to this new 2021 “estimate”- roughly 491,000 down to 487,000..

These “adjust for Covid” after the fact estimates are BS to me. Even our metro only adding about 4000 in one year from 2020 to 2021 doesn’t look or feel right. And the reality of commercial, residential dwellings and private construction, plus the eye test- belies these Census numbers. They’re flawed..Especially as it relates to Omaha and our metropolitan area…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

It’s possible Omaha did have a slight covid population drop, most cities did. Now a lot of them are snapping back in the other direction as residents flood back or move from other parts of the country. The rental market in nyc is fully back to insane levels again even without the office market back.

Perhaps you’re right..

But the activity and the eye test don’t support much, if any population dip in Omaha due to Covid. All I see when I drive/look around the Omaha city and metro- is growth. And the construction activity supports that..

As excited as I usually am for Census numbers to come out, it’s become increasingly difficult to trust them since this crazy pandemic (and under normal times, the estimates usually lowball the Omaha Metro population anyway imo). It’ll be interesting what the city/metro numbers will be when the 2022 estimates come out in 2023…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[Erik]

From the Nebraska Examiner article-

“According to the City of Omaha’s latest annual “Building and Development Summary,” the total estimated value of building permits issued by the Planning Department last year climbed to roughly $1.15 billion — the highest yearly tally on record for the city and second highest when accounting for inflation.

That price tag reflects construction ranging from houses and apartments to converted structures to new, altered or expanded properties containing office, retail, educational and other operations.”..

This is why I don’t buy the latest city population estimates just put out by the US Census indicating Omaha lost nearly 4000 residents from the “official” 2020 Census to this new 2021 “estimate”- roughly 491,000 down to 487,000..

These “adjust for Covid” after the fact estimates are BS to me. Even our metro only adding about 4000 in one year from 2020 to 2021 doesn’t look or feel right. And the reality of commercial, residential dwellings and private construction, plus the eye test- belies these Census numbers. They’re flawed..Especially as it relates to Omaha and our metropolitan area…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

It’s possible Omaha did have a slight covid population drop, most cities did. Now a lot of them are snapping back in the other direction as residents flood back or move from other parts of the country. The rental market in nyc is fully back to insane levels again even without the office market back.

Perhaps you’re right..

But the activity and the eye test don’t support much, if any population dip in Omaha due to Covid. All I see when I drive/look around the Omaha city and metro- is growth. And the construction activity supports that..

As excited as I usually am for Census numbers to come out, it’s become increasingly difficult to trust them since this crazy pandemic (and under normal times, the estimates usually lowball the Omaha Metro population anyway imo). It’ll be interesting what the city/metro numbers will be when the 2022 estimates come out in 2023…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I was surprised when the state estimates came out, not the city, as the state growth IS always a little less than Omaha and Lincoln combined.

So, I knew the numbers were way off when the state estimates were released, based on what you mentioned.

Watch next year, the growth bounces back to normal, and we have a decade that starts grossly underestimated.

[Omaha Cowboy]

From the Nebraska Examiner article-

“According to the City of Omaha’s latest annual “Building and Development Summary,” the total estimated value of building permits issued by the Planning Department last year climbed to roughly $1.15 billion — the highest yearly tally on record for the city and second highest when accounting for inflation.

That price tag reflects construction ranging from houses and apartments to converted structures to new, altered or expanded properties containing office, retail, educational and other operations.”..

This is why I don’t buy the latest city population estimates just put out by the US Census indicating Omaha lost nearly 4000 residents from the “official” 2020 Census to this new 2021 “estimate”- roughly 491,000 down to 487,000..

These “adjust for Covid” after the fact estimates are BS to me. Even our metro only adding about 4000 in one year from 2020 to 2021 doesn’t look or feel right. And the reality of commercial, residential dwellings and private construction, plus the eye test- belies these Census numbers. They’re flawed..Especially as it relates to Omaha and our metropolitan area…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

It’s possible Omaha did have a slight covid population drop, most cities did. Now a lot of them are snapping back in the other direction as residents flood back or move from other parts of the country. The rental market in nyc is fully back to insane levels again even without the office market back.

Perhaps you’re right..

But the activity and the eye test don’t support much, if any population dip in Omaha due to Covid. All I see when I drive/look around the Omaha city and metro- is growth. And the construction activity supports that..

As excited as I usually am for Census numbers to come out, it’s become increasingly difficult to trust them since this crazy pandemic (and under normal times, the estimates usually lowball the Omaha Metro population anyway imo). It’ll be interesting what the city/metro numbers will be when the 2022 estimates come out in 2023…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

I was surprised when the state estimates came out, not the city, as the state growth IS always a little less than Omaha and Lincoln combined.

So, I knew the numbers were way off when the state estimates were released, based on what you mentioned.

Watch next year, the growth bounces back to normal, and we have a decade that starts grossly underestimated.

That’s what I believe will happen. I don’t trust any of these US Census “adjust for Covid” 2021 estimates this year, at least for the Omaha area.. They belie reality and the eye test. They’re pretty much rubbish imo..

I’m interested in seeing the 2022 estimates that come out next year. Hopefully they won’t be so out of wack…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

[VeloRider]

An update through July, now that we are most of the way through the year. Area metros by housing unit:

Minneapolis/St. Paul- 16,350
Chicago - 9,592
Kansas City- 7,280
St. Louis- 5,496
Omaha- 3,948
SIOUX FALLS!- 3,937
Des Moines- 3,586
Milwaukee- 2,017
Lincoln- 1,941
Fargo- 1,446
Cedar Rapids- 636
Topeka- 233
Sioux City- 219

Sioux Falls is mind blowing! Ahead of Des Moines so far this year, an on par with Omaha.
Minneapolis/St. Paul also still not slowing down.

[skinzfan23]

I forgot, is this just measuring single family housing or is this taking multi unit housing into account as well?

[Bomaha]

I forgot, is this just measuring single family housing or is this taking multi unit housing into account as well?

It looks like it is including multifamily as well. Regardless, still impressive.

From an earlier post:

The Census Bureau does a good in depth job and splits the data even further. https://www.census.gov/construction/bps/msamonthly.html About half of our starts this year have been multifamily. For instance this months total of 871starts was split 329SF to 540MF. We have probably had pent up demand for multifamily for a while. It appears that the apartment boom in Omaha will continue.
For Des Moines part, they have been consistently beating Omaha in single family starts.

[VeloRider]

Yes, the numbers are for all residential units, multi and single

[VeloRider]

Through August Update:

Minneapolis/St. Paul- 18,236
Chicago - 10,939
Kansas City- 8,408
St. Louis- 6,895
Sioux Falls- 4,694
Omaha- 4,262
Des Moines- 4,161
Lincoln- 2,692
Milwaukee- 2,257
Fargo- 1,601
Cedar Rapids- 670
Topeka- 258
Sioux City- 236

Its nuts to see Sioux Falls ahead of Omaha and Des Moines now. Will it be the Midwest's next metropolis? I remember when I was a kid, Soux Falls and Sioux City were peers and on par with eachother. Times have changed.
Lincoln is ahead of the much larger Milwaukee area and is deffinately doing much better than the capital city to the south.

[Athomsfere]

Through August Update:

Minneapolis/St. Paul- 18,236
Chicago - 10,939
Kansas City- 8,408
St. Louis- 6,895
Sioux Falls- 4,694
Omaha- 4,262
Des Moines- 4,161
Lincoln- 2,692
Milwaukee- 2,257
Fargo- 1,601
Cedar Rapids- 670
Topeka- 258
Sioux City- 236

Its nuts to see Sioux Falls ahead of Omaha and Des Moines now. Will it be the Midwest's next metropolis? I remember when I was a kid, Soux Falls and Sioux City were peers and on par with eachother. Times have changed.
Lincoln is ahead of the much larger Milwaukee area and is deffinately doing much better than the capital city to the south.

If Lincoln and Sioux Falls keep up their average growth for the last 30 years:
Sioux Falls will be the bigger city in 2080.

[Cermak]

Sioux Falls just continues to grow at an impressive rate. It could catch and pass Lincoln at some point.