Thirty-three metro areas are showing positive housing-start growth, a sign that the flagging home-building market may be turning around, according to Adversity Index data from MSNBC.com and Moody’s Economy.com.

The Index based its conclusions on where builders are obtaining more permits to start home construction. The Adversity Index data compare the three-month periods ending April 2009 and April 2008 and includes all single-family and multiple dwellings.

Vallejo, Calif., tops the list with housing starts up 440 percent from last year, according to the report. Longview, Texas; Lawrence, Kan.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Kokomo, Ind.; and Clarksville, Tennessee-Kentucky, also made the list.

Housing starts hit a low in January, when just 14 metro areas showed gains. The jump to 33 growing markets is promising, but the report notes that number represents just one in 10 metro areas in the country.