In 2004, housing construction (building permits) in the region totaled 9,903 units, a 14 percent decline from the previous year and the lowest total since 1982. Nearly 70 percent of these housing units were single-family homes. During a 40 year period from 1965 to 2004, housing construction peaked in 1972 at 26,300 units and bottomed out at 6,500 units in 1981. The highest production of housing occurred from 1971 to 1973 while the lean years were 1980 to 1982.

During the last decade, 1995-2004, housing production in the region remained relatively flat averaging 11,200 housing units per year. Construction was strongest in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties. These two jurisdictions combined contributed more than 50 percent of the housing produced in each of the last ten years except 2004. In absolute numbers, Anne Arundel County recorded the highest level of housing activity, with 2,380 new units, surpassing Baltimore County’s 2,170 units. Housing production was lowest in Baltimore City, averaging about 275 units per year between 1995 and 2002, but picking up in 2003 and 2004. In both those years, the City permitted more units than Carroll County did, the first time that’s happened since 1982. And the number of units permitted in 2003 and 2004 was more than the previous 8 years combined. Also, conversions of non-residential space in the City created a total of 223 additional units in 2003, and 137 additional units in 2004, which are not reflected in the table totals.

Within the region, Carroll County registered the largest increase of average sales price for new and existing homes from 1995 to 2004, with 73%. Baltimore City and Baltimore County had the lowest percentage increases, with 44% and 43% respectively. In 2004, nearly $216,000 separated the highest average sales price in Howard County and the lowest in Baltimore City.

In 2000, nearly 48 percent of Maryland’s 1.3 million home owners lived in the region and contributed $1.037 billion in property taxes to the State of Maryland. Baltimore County was home to 32 percent of the region’s 639,000 home owners, number one among the jurisdictions. The average value of homes in the region was $101,000. Baltimore City was the only jurisdiction to fall below that mark. The tax rate per $100 of assessed valuation within the region ranged from the Baltimore City high of $5.82 to the Anne Arundel County low of $2.40. However, only $127 separated the average tax payment of Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County home owners.

Housing and Households

The housing stock in the region grew by 106,000 units from 1990 to 2000. Persons per household took a barely perceptible drop from 2.6 to 2.5 while the household population added nearly 157,000 persons and households grew by 91,000. The growth in both household population and households was proportional and therefore had no significant effect on household size. This was also true for both the state and the nation.

The number of vacant housing units in the region, totaling 53,000 in 1990, grew by 25 percent just ten years later. The bulk of that increase occurred in Baltimore City where vacant units increased by 14,000. The 2000 census reported that 32 percent of all vacant housing in Maryland, 41,000 units, was located in Baltimore City.