After stalled projects and uncertainties due to COVID plagued the construction industry in 2020, commercial and multifamily construction starts bounced back in 2021, according to Dodge Construction Network.
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Commercial and multifamily construction starts increased 16% nationwide in 2021. But starts remain below 2019 levels, indicating that the sector has not fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic.
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In the top 20 metro areas, commercial and multifamily starts were 5% below the level recorded in 2019, and national commercial and multifamily starts were just 2% below the 2019 level. Larger metro regions have lagged other areas as demand for construction shifted away from denser urban zones. Â
In the top 10 metro areas, commercial and multifamily starts were 9% below their 2019 levels, while starts in the metro areas ranked 11-20 were up 5% from 2019. This shows that in 2021, smaller, less dense metropolitan areas became increasingly popular.
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