Despite the value of its nonresidential building contracts dropping to a level that is less than half of last year’s, the greater Atlanta metropolitan area is still leading the Southeast’s pack. According to the latest information from McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Southeast Construction, Atlanta recorded more than $1 million in new nonresidential construction contracts, for future construction, during the first five months of 2009. That’s 56% below 2008’s pace of nearly $2.3 billion.
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach area closed the gap on Atlanta, compared to the same period of a year ago, with nearly $971.8 million in new nonresidential contracts through May. That’s 45% behind that area’s 2008 pace.
Most of the large metropolitan areas showed similar, steep declines within the nonresidential market. Orlando, Fla., experienced a drop of 39%; Tampa, Fla., is 28% behind 2008; Jacksonville, Fla., fell 38%; and Charlotte, N.C., fell by 58%.
Three smaller population centers saw their nonresidential markets improve, however. Fayetteville, N.C., experienced am 83% improvement in nonresidential contracts to rank fifth. The Columbus, Ga., area’s 6% improvement was enough for eighth place. Gainesville, Fla., roared into the top-10 list with a 313% increase in the value of its nonresidential contracts.
| Rank | Metropolitan Area | 5 mo 2008 | 5 mo 2009 | % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA | 2,284,924 | 1,000,479 | -56% |
| 2 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL | 1,765,899 | 971,788 | -45% |
| 3 | Orlando, FL | 1,109,179 | 671,539 | -39% |
| 4 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 759,698 | 547,491 | -28% |
| 5 | Fayetteville, NC | 242,653 | 444,602 | 83% |
| 6 | Jacksonville, FL | 656,284 | 408,693 | -38% |
| 7 | Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC | 818,059 | 342,186 | -58% |
| 8 | Columbus, GA-AL | 291,094 | 309,636 | 6% |
| 9 | Jacksonville, NC | 242,875 | 212,291 | -13% |
| 10 | Gainesville, FL | 48,383 | 199,925 | 313% |
| Rank | Metropolitan Area | 5 mo 2008 | 5 mo 2009 | % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA | 8,072,898 | 3,649,864 | -55% |
| 2 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 4,093,152 | 2,607,575 | -36% |
| 3 | Las Vegas-Paradise, NV | 1,642,245 | 1,826,939 | 11% |
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 2,605,910 | 1,739,608 | -33% |
| 5 | Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX | 3,260,453 | 1,477,431 | -55% |
| 6 | Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI | 5,932,988 | 1,158,588 | -80% |
| 7 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 1,316,532 | 1,124,412 | -15% |
| 8 | Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH | 2,284,640 | 1,123,928 | -51% |
| 9 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA | 3,039,327 | 1,121,125 | -63% |
| 10 | Pittsburgh, PA | 862,939 | 1,054,958 | 22% |
