Greenville County Still Leads Upstate Homebuilding, But Rising Costs Push Growth Toward Outlying Counties

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Greenville County remains the Upstate’s dominant homebuilding market, but new building permit data shows its share of regional construction has steadily eroded over the past two decades as rising land costs and impact fees push development toward Spartanburg, Anderson and Laurens counties.

Greenville County accounted for about 40% of Upstate homebuilding activity so far in 2026, according to a Watchdog Report released July 2 by Addie Patterson, government affairs director for the Western Upstate Association of Realtors. That share is down from nearly 60% at its peak in 2006, based on U.S. Census Bureau building permit data reported by local governments.

Spartanburg County has emerged as the region’s clear No. 2 market, capturing roughly 30% of Upstate homebuilding activity in 2026. Notably, Spartanburg County has issued more single-family building permits than Greenville County so far this year, even though Greenville still leads in total housing production once multifamily units are counted.

That multifamily distinction is significant. About 25% of Greenville County’s 2026 permits are for multifamily units, and the county accounts for almost 99% of all multifamily permits issued across the Upstate. No other county in the region has meaningful apartment construction activity, meaning nearly all new rental supply entering the market is concentrated inside Greenville County’s borders.

Anderson County ranks third with about 11% of regional homebuilding, a share that has held steady since 2015. Pickens and Oconee counties have also remained relatively stable over the past decade. Laurens County stands out as the region’s fastest-growing homebuilding market, with activity more than doubling over the last 10 years as builders look farther afield for cheaper land.

Patterson’s report frames the shift as evidence of sprawl driven by economics rather than a broad slowdown or boom. “If we listen to the media, homebuilding is down. If we listen to some of our neighbors and friends, homebuilding is up dramatically. It’s neither of those,” Patterson wrote, noting that overall Upstate homebuilding has been relatively stable since 2020, with normal cyclical swings rather than dramatic shifts.

The dynamics carry distinct implications for different players in the Upstate market. For homebuyers, the data suggests that affordability-driven demand will keep pushing new construction into Spartanburg, Anderson and Laurens counties, where land and regulatory costs remain lower than in Greenville’s urban core. For renters, Greenville County’s near-monopoly on multifamily permitting means apartment supply — and any relief on rents — will continue to be concentrated there rather than spreading regionally.

Developers and investors face a more complex calculus. Greenville County’s shrinking share of single-family activity reflects rising impact fees and stricter development regulations that have made outlying counties more attractive for large-lot subdivisions, even as the county retains its dominance in higher-density apartment projects. Laurens County’s doubling of homebuilding activity over the past decade signals an emerging market that investors are increasingly watching as Greenville’s urban core becomes more expensive to develop.

Patterson said the association plans to publish a follow-up report breaking down permit activity by individual cities and towns, rather than by county, which could offer a more granular view of where growth is concentrating within each jurisdiction.