Work from home, polarization, and new residential construction during COVID-19

This article examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and work-from-home trends on residential construction. We document a decline in building permits filed early in the pandemic, followed by a substantial increase in permits filed during the late 2020 and 2021. Pre-pandemic trends of building in urban areas continued, while substantially less permits were filed in Democrat-voting counties and counties in states with Democrat governors. Our results suggest political re-sorting during the pandemic that may continue in a work-from-home environment.