Carter Machinery, a Caterpillar construction equipment dealer with 18 locations in Virginia and West Virginia, recently released information about the building permits of the southeast in the United States.

The data highlights top grossing counties across Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Counties were ranked based on the value of housing permits issued for the second quarter of 2013, listing the top five counties for each state.

The trend of the recovering economy, as measured through construction deals, is apparent through the report as states likeFlorida and North Carolina help lead the way financially.

Edie Ousley, Vice President of Public Affairs for the Florida Chamber of Commerce, commented on the growing housing market: "The numbers keep rolling in, and it continues to look good for Florida's economic prospects. On the heels of positive reports on consumer confidence and median home prices, Florida has more optimism with significant rebounding in residential construction. This is positive economic news because this data is a leading indicator to help predict future changes in statewide economic activity."

Among the data points offered in the report, the top five performers for the entire southeast were Hillsborough County, Florida;Fulton County, Georgia; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Wake County, North Carolina; and Orange County, Florida.

Not all counties submitted consistent data for their building permits and units issued or the value of the permits for the second quarter of 2013. West Virginia was the single state that spent the least and had the fewest number of permits issued for the second quarter. West Virginia, however, also had the lowest number of counties report data to the United States Census Bureau.