Building permits · Jun 2026
U.S. building permit rankings
All figures are new privately owned residential units authorized by building permits, from the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey. The survey covers permit-issuing jurisdictions; a jurisdiction that did not report in a given month contributes nothing for that month, so an absent figure is not a zero. Per-capita rankings apply a population floor and rate rankings apply a volume floor — each page states the floor it uses.
Where housing is actually being authorized — 7 leaderboards ranking U.S. metro areas and counties by permit volume, permits per capita, year-over-year change, and multifamily share, through Jun 2026. Each board states the window it uses.
A permit is an authorization, not a housing start — some authorized units are never built. Per-capita and rate boards apply a floor; each board states its own.
- 1.Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX61,973
- 2.Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX59,212
- 3.New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ56,401
- 4.Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ36,414
- 5.Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA33,614
- 6.Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA33,518
- 7.Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX23,368
- 8.Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL21,666
- 9.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV21,588
- 10.Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL21,240
Metro areas with the most building permits
Metropolitan and micropolitan areas ranked by housing units authorized over the last 12 months.
- 1.Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX61,973
- 2.Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX59,212
- 3.New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ56,401
- 4.Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ36,414
- 5.Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA33,614
- 6.Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA33,518
- 7.Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX23,368
- 8.Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL21,666
- 9.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV21,588
- 10.Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL21,240
Counties with the most building permits
U.S. counties ranked by housing units authorized over the last 12 months.
- 1.Maricopa County28,806
- 2.Los Angeles County27,747
- 3.Harris County27,690
- 4.Collin County17,203
- 5.Tarrant County15,333
- 6.Wake County15,162
- 7.Montgomery County11,890
- 8.Miami-Dade County11,833
- 9.Fort Bend County11,823
- 10.Travis County11,657
Building permits per capita by county
Counties ranked by units authorized per 1,000 residents — the housing-supply rate, not raw volume.
- 1.Jasper County60.3
- 2.Dawson County34.4
- 3.Brunswick County33.9
- 4.Wasatch County29.8
- 5.Walton County29.0
- 6.Manatee County27.6
- 7.Sumter County27.1
- 8.Jackson County22.0
- 9.Flagler County21.4
- 10.Benton County20.5
Building permits per capita by metro area
Metro areas ranked by units authorized per 1,000 residents — the housing-supply rate.
- 1.Wildwood-The Villages FL27.1
- 2.North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL19.5
- 3.Wilmington NC19.0
- 4.Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC17.9
- 5.Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR17.3
- 6.Punta Gorda FL16.2
- 7.St. George UT15.5
- 8.Ocala FL14.9
- 9.Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL14.7
- 10.Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL14.0
Fastest-growing housing markets by building permits
Metro areas with the largest year-over-year increase in permitted units, same window both years.
- 1.Champaign-Urbana IL+189.7%
- 2.Syracuse NY+176.8%
- 3.San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA+162.5%
- 4.Abilene TX+145.5%
- 5.Appleton WI+124.2%
- 6.Rochester MN+105.1%
- 7.Modesto CA+81.7%
- 8.Rexburg ID+81.5%
- 9.Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA+79.7%
- 10.Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA+70.7%
Housing markets with the steepest permit declines
Metro areas with the largest year-over-year drop in permitted units, same window both years.
- 1.Clovis NM−86.1%
- 2.Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ−57.2%
- 3.Elizabethtown KY−50.0%
- 4.Barnstable Town MA−49.8%
- 5.Flagstaff AZ−46.8%
- 6.Midland TX−42.6%
- 7.Bloomington IN−42.1%
- 8.Lancaster PA−41.4%
- 9.Athens-Clarke County GA−40.6%
- 10.Boone NC−40.1%
Metro areas where multifamily is the biggest share of new housing
Metro areas ranked by the share of permitted units in buildings with 5 or more units — share, not volume.
- 1.Champaign-Urbana IL85.8%
- 2.Boulder CO79.7%
- 3.Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT79.7%
- 4.Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA78.1%
- 5.New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ75.3%
- 6.New Haven CT75.1%
- 7.Madison WI74.4%
- 8.Syracuse NY74.0%
- 9.San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA73.9%
- 10.Dubuque IA71.6%
Related housing data
Building permits by state
Building permit rankings — FAQ
Which U.S. metro area issues the most building permits?+
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX, with 61,973 housing units authorized in the 12 months to Jun 2026 (U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey).
What is the difference between permits and housing starts?+
A permit authorizes construction; a start is ground actually broken. Permits are published earlier and are the leading indicator, but not every authorized unit is built, and the lag between the two varies by market and structure type.
How current is this data?+
The latest month in the data is Jun 2026. Most boards rank the 12 months ending there; the growth and decline boards compare that window against the same months a year earlier, and each board states its own window. The Census Bureau publishes the Building Permits Survey monthly and revises recent months as late reports arrive — the county and place detail these rankings use lands about six weeks after the reference month, later than the national release.
Can I use these figures in a report?+
Yes. The underlying data is a U.S. Census Bureau product and in the public domain. Cite the Building Permits Survey as the source and note the data window, since permit counts for recent months are revised.
Get the monthly permit release
We'll email you when new Census Building Permits Survey data is published — the national, metro and county figures behind these rankings.
Roughly monthly, following the Census release schedule — national figures land about three weeks after the reference month, county and place detail about six. You'll get a welcome note. Unsubscribe anytime.