This document analyzes housing starts in the United States in 2012 to gauge the recovery of the housing sector after the recession. It examines state-level housing start data from the US Census Bureau from 2002-2012, comparing raw numbers and adjusting for population. Preliminary maps show that Texas, Florida, California, New York, North Carolina, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Virginia and Georgia had the strongest numbers of housing starts in 2012, though some of these states have softer housing markets when adjusted for population. States in the South and Midwest generally show less recovery than those in the South/Southeast and West.