The line graph illustrates the total number of single-family residential properties built across four distinct regions of the United States – the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West – between 2006 and 2012.
Overall, all four regions experienced a significant decline in the number of newly constructed homes over the six-year period, with the sharpest drops occurring between 2006 and 2010. Additionally, the South consistently recorded the highest volume of home construction, while the Northeast remained the region with the fewest new builds throughout.
In 2006, the South led significantly with just over 900,000 new homes constructed. However, this figure plummeted drastically over the next four years, bottoming out at approximately 300,000 in 2010, before experiencing a moderate recovery to around 350,000 by 2012. The West followed a similar trajectory; starting at roughly 450,000 homes in 2006, construction numbers fell sharply to just above 100,000 in 2010, followed by a marginal increase to about 150,000 at the end of the period.
The Midwest and Northeast started at much lower points and followed a more gradual decline. In 2006, the Midwest saw nearly 300,000 new constructions, which steadily decreased to roughly 100,000 by 2010 and remained stagnant through 2012. Meanwhile, the Northeast began the period at under 200,000 homes and hit a low of approximately 50,000 in 2010. By 2012, construction in the Northeast showed a negligible uptick, remaining the lowest of all four regions.