A sector of Lawrence that hasn’t gotten much love lately is getting a little these days from the national media.

An online report by MSNBC mentions Lawrence as one of 33 metro areas across the country where there are early signs of a housing rebound.

The report sites an Adversity Index put together by MSNBC and Moody’s Economy.com. The index shows that “housing starts” are up 253 percent from April 2008.

Based on a review of recently released building permit data by the city, Lawrence housing starts definitely are up — but only if you count new apartment construction. If you don’t count apartment construction, the numbers are actually down for the year.

We don’t have a fancy title like the Adversity Index, but here’s what a review of building permit data through May says about Lawrence construction:

• 27 single family permits have been issued through May 2009. That’s down from 34 during the same period of 2008.
• Four duplex permits have been issued in 2009, up from one in 2008.
• Permits for 172 apartment units have been issued in 2009, up from seven in 2008.

In case you’re wondering, other towns that seemed to fare well in the Adversity Index were:

• Vallejo, Calif.
• Longview, Texas
• Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Kokomo, Ind.
• Clarksville, which is in both Tennessee and Kentucky.