Surprising as it may come to local industry followers, for the first six months of the year, the area ranked fourth in the nation, up 18.3% from a No. 7 ranking in the same period in 2001, according to a new study by the Dr. Phillips Institute for the Study of American Business Activity and Phillips-Schenck Chairholder at the University of Central Florida.

Metro Orlando generated 14.61 authorized building permits when scaled per 1,000 nonfarm jobs. Las Vegas, with 19.69 permits per 1,000 jobs, placed first for the fifth consecutive year. Atlanta, 16.44 permits, was second. Phoenix-Mesa, 14.63 permits, was third. The index ranks 61 metropolitan areas twice a year.

"The relative strength of Orlando's private construction sector has been strong during the U.S. economic downturn that officially commenced in March 2001," Dr. David F. Scott Jr., executive director, Dr. Phillips Institute, says in his analysis. "Orlando's performance held up well when compared against the average change of the top 20 performing MSAs."