SLO County added nearly 1,000 new homes in 2022. Which cities grew the most?

San Luis Obispo County added nearly 1,000 homes in 2022 due to significant construction in major population centers such as Atascadero and Paso Robles, a new state report shows.

According to the California Department of Finance report, San Luis Obispo County’s housing stock climbed by 0.8% between Jan. 1, 2022, and Jan. 1, 2023, jumping from 125,287 units to 126,234 units.

More than 123,000 homes were built across California in 2022, the report said, making it the strongest year for housing production since 2008.

Here’s which communities saw the most growth in terms of housing stock.

Where did housing stock grow the most in SLO County?

The city of San Luis Obispo led SLO County in terms of housing growth with a 2.6% increase in 2022, according to the state finance department, which calculates overall housing growth based on new construction, demolitions, annexations and new unit conversions.

The city added 587 units in 2022, ending the year with a total of 22,845 homes, the report said.

According to the report, Atascadero was the only other local city to grow its housing stock by more than 1% — adding 137 homes to end 2022 with 12,434 housing units. That was a 1.1% increase.

Paso Robles saw more modest growth, increasing by 50 homes — 0.4% — to reach 12,432 housing units by year’s end.

Other SLO County communities generally saw minimal housing production in 2022.

Pismo Beach added 15 homes — a 0.3% increase — to end 2022 with a total of 5,861 units.

Grover Beach similarly saw little growth in 2022, increasing by 0.2% to 5,923 units. Just 10 homes were built in 12 months.

Farther inland, Arroyo Grande added just 17 new homes, which grew the housing stock by 0.2% to 8,086 by year’s end.

No other city in the county grew as little as Morro Bay in 2022, which added four homes, a 0.1% increase that left the city with 6,567 units by the end of the year.

The number of homes in unincorporated areas of the county grew by 0.2% in 2022. Those areas added a total of 128 homes, ending the year with 52,087 housing units.

San Luis Obispo County’s housing production out-performed its Central Coast neighbors in 2022.

Monterey County’s housing pool grew by 0.6% in 2022, ending the year with 145,965 housing units, while Santa Barbara County housing stock increased by 0.7% to end 2022 with 161,456 homes.

Which California cities added the most housing?

According to the California Department of Finance, the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and Oakland added the most total housing units in 2022 — and the most new multifamily construction.

Sacramento added 1,960 new housing units, ranking fifth statewide in terms of total growth.

Los Angeles and San Diego built the most single-family homes in the state, with Roseville taking the third spot. The Placer County city added 1,783 single-family homes, earning it a No. 7 spot in terms of total housing unit growth.

Paradise, the Butte County community still recovering from the deadly Camp Fire in 2018, saw the biggest year-over-year growth, adding 17% more units.

Lathrop in San Joaquin County added nearly 15% more housing units, and housing stock in Duarte in Los Angeles County increased by more than 8%.

Lincoln’s housing stock increased by 4.4%, putting the Placer County city in ninth place for housing growth.

Folsom built 4% more housing units, ranking the Sacramento County city 10th for housing growth.

Single-family homes made up about 54% of the new construction in California, while 44% were multifamily units and just 1% were mobile homes.

Bigger cities gained the most total housing units.

However, smaller inland cities, and those in the Central Valley and coastal agricultural areas, gained the largest percentage of new units.

Twelve California counties grew their housing by 1% or more, with Yuba, Placer and Butte counties gaining the most. Only Mariposa County lost housing, likely due to the wildfires the area experienced in 2022.

Despite strong year, housing growth across state falls short

California increased its year-over-year housing production by 0.85%, building more than 116,000 new units, according to the state Department of Finance.

That’s a 0.1% increase from 2021 and the highest level in 15 years.

Single-family homes made up about 54% of the new construction in California, while 44% were multifamily units and just 1% were mobile homes.

Bigger cities gained the most total housing units.

However, smaller inland cities, and those in the Central Valley and coastal agricultural areas, gained the largest percentage of new units.

Twelve California counties grew their housing by 1% or more, with Yuba, Placer and Butte counties gaining the most. Only Mariposa County lost housing, likely due to the wildfires the area experienced in 2022.

However, the number of new homes built in California falls far short of meeting housing needs.

During his first campaign for governor in 2017, Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to build 3.5 million housing units across California by 2025.

In 2022, he revised that goal to 2.5 million homes by 2030.

California finished 2022 with a little more 14.7 million homes.