Eight of the top 10 major metro regions posted significant, double-digit gains in commercial and multifamily starts in 2016, compared to the previous year, according to Dodge Data and Analytics.

New York City (–15 percent) and Seattle (–4.0 percent) were the only metros in the top 10 with declining rates of starts.

The remaining major markets excelled in commercial and multifamily building: San Francisco, +96 percent; Atlanta, +60 percent; Boston, +50 percent; Los Angeles, +44 percent; Washington D.C., +35 percent; Chicago, +34 percent; Dallas-Ft. Worth, +16 percent; and Miami, +14 percent.

Dodge Data also reports that 16 of the top 20 metro areas recorded double-digit gains compared to 2015, and that commercial and multifamily starts in 2016 increased seven percent across the nation. Commercial building expanded by 11 percent in 2016, while multifamily grew by three percent.

Commercial and multifamily is comprised of office buildings, stores, hotels, warehouses, commercial garages and multifamily housing.