Residential construction in Ill. down nearly 60%

Of all states, Illinois had the fourth sharpest decline in new residential building permits in the country.

Illinois authorized 1,382 building permits for new residential units in April, representing a 59.1 percent decline compared to last year, according to researchers at

, a review website for construction management software and commercial truck insurance.

In April of 2019, the state authorized 3,378 building permits. The change in value dropped $247,871,000, according to

.

Nationally, there was a 20 percent decline in new housing units authorized by building permits, a drop that represents nearly $4.4 billion in value.

At the state level, New York experienced the sharpest drop in residential building permits year-over-year, at 71.3 percent. Construction in Michigan, Pennsylvania, alongside Illinois was also hit particularly hard.