Unadjusted statistics are gathered from the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey and the Survey of Construction. The surveys provide current national and regional data on the construction of new privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits. The results provide insight into the nation's current economic activity and are used by business and industry stakeholders to help gauge supply and demand. The U.S. Census Bureau covers four regions. The Northeast area covers traditional New England territory as well as New York and New Jersey. The Midwest is considered from northern states such as Wisconsin down to Kansas between Ohio and Nebraska. The South region comprises the most states, from Florida to West Virginia and Texas. The West is every state along the west coast going inland until Colorado and Montana.