welcome home
Austin booms among top U.S. metros for new home construction since 2012

When your population soars more than 25 percent, as the Austin metro area’s population did between 2012 and 2020, you need to put more roofs over people’s heads.
As a result of the region’s booming population, the Capital City lands at No. 11 on the list of major U.S. metro areas with the most construction permits issued for single-family homes from 2012 through 2021, according to new data from self-storage marketplace StorageCafe. During that period, 152,779 permits for single-family homes were handed out in the region.
During the same time period, Austin also issued 133,951 multifamily permits (No. 6 in the country), saw more than 24.3 million square feet of new office space added (No. 10), was 32nd in the country for new industrial space (more than 24 million square feet), was ninth for new retail space (more than 15.1 million square feet), and saw new self-storage space increase by more than 8.3 million square feet (10th in the country).
“Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown missed the top 10 by a whisker, landing 11th among the biggest metros for overall real estate development. This is the third Texan metro area that saw impressive volumes of new construction over the past decade,” StorageCafe says. “Austin manages to outperform many of the decidedly bigger metros in the top 10 for both single family and multifamily construction.”
Here’s how other major Texas metros fared on the list:
Dallas-Fort Worth, No. 1
DFW ranks:
- Second for single-family home permits (323,250).
- Second for multifamily permits (233,246).
- Second for new office space (nearly 55 million square feet).
- First for new industrial space (more than 228 million square feet).
- Second for new retail space (more than 47.8 million square feet).
- First for new self-storage space (more than 22.9 million square feet).
“One of the fastest-growing metros in the country, Dallas acted as a magnet for both new residents and businesses over the past decade, and the real estate market responded,” StorageCafe notes.
Houston, No. 2
Houston ranks:
- First for single-family home permits (392,136).
- Fourth for multifamily construction permits (170,817).
- Third for new office space (nearly 44.3 million square feet).
- Fourth for new industrial space (more than 153.3 million square feet).
- First for new retail space (more than 51.8 million square feet).
- Third for new self-storage space (nearly 17.6 million square feet).
“Houston has been the primary destination for newcomers moving to Texas, especially Californians who find respite in Harris County’s lower home prices and tax rates, cheaper land, and sound economy,” StorageCafe says in explaining the demand for more homes in the area.
Houston ranks second for construction activity across all six property types from 2012 through 2021.
San Antonio, No. 20
San Antonio ranks:
- 20th for single-family home permits (79,057).
- 25th for multifamily permits (44,170).
- 25h for new office space (more than 9.3 million square feet).
- 29th for new industrial space (more than 30.4 million square feet).
- 11th for new retail space (nearly 13.9 million square feet).
- 18th for new self-storage space (more than 6.8 million square feet).