Building permits · Jul 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 Jul 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 TX61,275
- 2.Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX59,214
- 3.New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ57,375
- 4.Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ35,159
- 5.Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA34,696
- 6.Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA33,511
- 7.Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX23,056
- 8.Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL22,392
- 9.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV21,779
- 10.Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL21,166
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 TX61,275
- 2.Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX59,214
- 3.New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ57,375
- 4.Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ35,159
- 5.Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA34,696
- 6.Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA33,511
- 7.Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX23,056
- 8.Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL22,392
- 9.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV21,779
- 10.Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL21,166
Counties with the most building permits
U.S. counties ranked by housing units authorized over the last 12 months.
- 1.Los Angeles County28,583
- 2.Harris County28,331
- 3.Maricopa County27,595
- 4.Collin County16,561
- 5.Tarrant County15,480
- 6.Wake County14,808
- 7.Travis County11,766
- 8.Montgomery County11,744
- 9.Fort Bend County11,420
- 10.King County11,349
Building permits per capita by county
Counties ranked by units authorized per 1,000 residents — the housing-supply rate, not raw volume.
- 1.Jasper County56.6
- 2.Brunswick County36.0
- 3.Dawson County33.9
- 4.Wasatch County29.9
- 5.Walton County28.8
- 6.Sumter County27.8
- 7.Manatee County27.4
- 8.Jackson County23.0
- 9.Flagler County22.1
- 10.Taney County21.3
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 FL27.8
- 2.Wilmington NC19.8
- 3.North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL19.6
- 4.Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC17.7
- 5.Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR17.2
- 6.Punta Gorda FL16.9
- 7.St. George UT16.2
- 8.Ocala FL14.9
- 9.Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL14.3
- 10.Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL14.3
Fastest-growing housing markets by building permits
Metro areas with the largest year-over-year increase in permitted units, same window both years.
- 1.Syracuse NY+195.0%
- 2.Champaign-Urbana IL+175.9%
- 3.Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA+152.2%
- 4.Abilene TX+128.1%
- 5.San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA+122.0%
- 6.Rochester MN+89.6%
- 7.Appleton WI+82.1%
- 8.Modesto CA+80.8%
- 9.Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA+73.6%
- 10.Jackson MS+67.9%
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−86.7%
- 2.Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ−61.3%
- 3.Barnstable Town MA−51.1%
- 4.Lafayette-West Lafayette IN−49.7%
- 5.Elizabethtown KY−48.0%
- 6.Flagstaff AZ−46.0%
- 7.Bloomington IN−45.8%
- 8.Midland TX−45.1%
- 9.Lebanon PA−41.9%
- 10.Fayetteville NC−39.5%
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 IL86.5%
- 2.Boulder CO79.4%
- 3.Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA77.9%
- 4.New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ75.9%
- 5.Kalispell MT75.8%
- 6.Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT75.5%
- 7.Syracuse NY75.2%
- 8.Madison WI73.0%
- 9.Dubuque IA72.3%
- 10.San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA72.2%
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 61,275 housing units authorized in the 12 months to Jul 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 Jul 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.
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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.