The county had 36 permits, nationwide construction a major economic contributor
Putnam County had a “big month,” according to Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter. In October, the county had 36 permits worth $14.4M of construction, 24 being for new single-family residential homes.
“There were two commercial projects that added $3.1 million to the total,” said Porter. “This was the largest month construction dollar wise since.”
In comparison, Oct. 2023 had 47 permits for $9.4M with 29 of those being new single-family homes.
“October permits generated $43,261 in fees which operates the Building Codes Department,” said Porter.
Nationally, construction is a major contributor to the U.S. Economy. According to the Association of General Contractors and AGC.org, finding employees may be a challenge that lasts longer than the rising of materials costs and supply. Slower population growth is the driver for fewer workers, but it also slows demand growth, according to AGC. There is also an expected slowing demand for K-12 construction education and a decline for higher education in construction.
Other outlooks include, according to AGC:
- Permanent shift from retail to e-commerce/distribution structures
- More specialized and online healthcare facilities; fewer hospitals, nursing homes
- More wind, solar, battery storage and charging facilities, and related manufacturing
- Not clear if offices will decentralize or remain in less demand
Here are the Putnam County numbers for prior years as a comparison:
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |||
| Permits | Total Amount | Permits | Total Amount | Permits | Total Amount |
| 28 | 8,516,500 | 20 | 4,990,900 | 22 | 3,886,300 |
| 39 | 7,960,443 | 37 | 6,653,700 | 34 | 8,245,155 |
| 30 | 6,355,500 | 34 | 8,705,474 | 25 | 7,056,360 |
| 46 | 9,177,568 | 35 | 6,924,500 | 42 | 8,903,850 |
| 39 | 6,575,375 | 40 | 7,075,300 | 33 | 7,391,000 |
| 51 | 15,624,742 | 36 | 5,922,400 | 36 | 9,476,800 |
| 41 | 9,911,325 | 36 | 8,456,000 | 40 | 7,740,700 |
| 31 | 6,679,000 | 38 | 7,570,900 | 28 | 3,905,000 |
| 30 | 7,751,000 | 37 | 6,171,496 | 28 | 6,478,045 |
| 39 | 5,533,500 | 47 | 9,429,590 | 36 | 14,411,700 |
| 22 | 5,041,000 | 23 | 4,487,600 | ||
| 11 | 1,215,000 | 25 | 5,829,000 | ||
| 407 | 90,340,953 | 408 | 82,216,860 | 324 | 77,494,910 |
These are numbers for Putnam County that do not include any of the four cities.
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