South Central

Texas alone contributes to just over 70% of construction spending in the Southern US, with much of that spending going to the Texas Triangle.

Cities here have seen unprecedented growth over the last ten years, but thanks to its relatively flat terrain and plentiful land have not seen a corresponding rise in cost of living. Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio have all grown out rather than up. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex alone is about as big as New Jersey despite having about as many residents as Philadelphia. This has kept escalation here from rising too much, although it remains a bit above the national average. We expect it to remain steady over the coming years. Population growth should provide enough demand to offset a cooling economy. Whether a cooling market means a recession is still hotly debated, but confidence in the market remains for now.

Attention in the rest of the South is mostly centered on New Orleans and Nashville. Both cities have seen a lot of new residents recently and are looking to capitalize on emerging industries like electric vehicle manufacturing. The Gulf Coast has long served as a hub for petrochemical operations, giving it a workforce with extensive experience processing and refining hazardous materials on a large scale. These skills transfer surprisingly well into manufacturing batteries and semiconductors. This, in turn, makes the area a good option for companies looking for a place to manufacture these products.

* Other structures include religious buildings, amusement, government communications, and public recreation projects.