Home builders broke ground in September on more single-family homes in Johnson County than the same month in 2011, new data shows.

The number of single-family building permits in September rose to 124, up nearly 60 percent from September 2011, according to the latest monthly data from the County Economic Research Institute. Through the first nine months of 2012, building permits were up 43 percent to 927 applications.

Other monthly data continued to paint a better picture for Johnson County’s housing industry.

• Home sales climbed 2 percent in September to 656 contracts; home sales through nine months were up 22 percent to 6,764 homes, the research organization said.

• The average price of new and existing homes sold in September climbed 6 percent to $246,500.

Though improving, housing activity is still generally down from its pre-recession peak years of 2005 through 2008 .

CERI’s monthly report showed gains in other Johnson County economic indicators.

September’s unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent, from 5.9 percent 12 months earlier. According to the latest data, more than 283,000 county residents were employed in September, which was actually down 0.6 percent from September 2011. However, the unemployment rate fell because there were about 2 percent fewer residents in the labor force that month.

The county’s index of consumer confidence continued to trend higher in October, after leveling out in the summer.

To reach Steve Rosen, call 816-234-4879, or send email to srosen@kcstar.com.