Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits

Los Angeles, CA had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 369 cities in 2017, at 14,846. Sierra Madre, CA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 67 and the figure for California was 114,780. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest14,846Los Angeles, CA

Lowest0Sierra Madre, CA

Median67369 cities

California114,780History

Top 40 cities, 2017

count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2017 count	Change on 2016
1	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	14,846	+6.9%
2	San Diego, CA Estimated	5,692	-13.9%
3	San Francisco, CA Estimated	4,034	-1.3%
4	Oakland, CA Estimated	3,895	+82.4%
5	Irvine, CA Estimated	3,240	-30.1%
6	Sacramento, CA Estimated	2,843	+69%
7	San Jose, CA Estimated	2,441	-10.5%
8	Fremont, CA Estimated	1,946	+212.9%
9	Roseville, CA Estimated	1,677	+82.3%
10	Ontario, CA Estimated	1,658	+153.5%
11	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,637	+13.8%
12	Santa Clara, CA Estimated	1,528	+264.7%
13	Fresno, CA Estimated	1,467	+13.9%
14	Mountain View, CA Estimated	1,390	+179.1%
15	Long Beach, CA Estimated	1,220	+916.7%
16	Dublin, CA Estimated	1,197	+95.9%
17	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	1,043	-11.2%
18	Chino Hills, CA Estimated	1,033	+129.6%
19	Clovis, CA Estimated	992	-8.7%
20	Rocklin, CA Estimated	989	+26.6%
21	Milpitas, CA Estimated	959	+503.1%
22	Anaheim, CA Estimated	909	-3.2%
23	Camarillo, CA Estimated	838	+255.1%
24	Manteca, CA Estimated	820	+38.3%
25	Lake Forest, CA Estimated	763	+48.7%
26	Beaumont, CA Estimated	743	+52.3%
27	San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA Estimated	730	+194.4%
28	Carlsbad, CA Estimated	718	+5.1%
29	Menifee, CA Estimated	717	+26.9%
30	Riverside, CA Estimated	707	+49.5%
31	Fontana, CA Estimated	663	+35.9%
32	Chico, CA Estimated	636	+19.1%
33	Jurupa Valley, CA Estimated	614	+19.9%
34	Oxnard, CA Estimated	608	+2.7%
35	Chino, CA Estimated	607	+6.5%
36	Lake Elsinore, CA Estimated	564	-3.6%
37	Visalia, CA Estimated	549	-22.1%
38	Santa Clarita, CA Estimated	537	+25.2%
39	Hollister, CA Estimated	521	+55.1%
40	Gilroy, CA Estimated	518	-33.1%
41	Santa Maria, CA Estimated	516	+88.3%
42	Sunnyvale, CA Estimated	507	+111.3%
43	Brentwood, CA Estimated	506	-9.5%
44	Folsom, CA Estimated	494	+216.7%
45	Indio, CA Estimated	478	+97.5%
46	Murrieta, CA Estimated	473	+69.5%
47	San Marcos, CA Estimated	470	+35.8%
48	Brea, CA Estimated	469	+159.1%
49	Escondido, CA Estimated	459	+171.6%
50	Moreno Valley, CA Estimated	453	+105.9%
51	Lodi, CA Estimated	449	+66.9%
52	San Mateo, CA Estimated	445	+97.8%
53	Santa Ana, CA Estimated	441	+101.4%
54	Rancho Cordova, CA Estimated	416	+27.6%
55	Hayward, CA Estimated	414	-12.7%
56	Elk Grove, CA Estimated	402	-11.6%
57	Livermore, CA Estimated	390	+18.2%
58	Newark, CA Estimated	386	-26.2%
59	Stockton, CA Estimated	376	+34.8%
60	Eastvale, CA Estimated	352	+6%
61	Santa Rosa, CA Estimated	344	+44.5%
62	Tulare, CA Estimated	334	-0.9%
63	Claremont, CA Estimated	331	+688.1%
64	Oceanside, CA Estimated	315	-19%
65	Emeryville, CA Estimated	312	+31,100%
65	Rancho Cucamonga, CA Estimated	312	+85.7%
67	Berkeley, CA Estimated	311	-12.9%
68	Tracy, CA Estimated	304	+4.8%
69	Modesto, CA Estimated	288	+121.5%
70	Perris, CA Estimated	286	+8.7%
71	Wasco, CA Estimated	284	+120.2%
72	Huntington Beach, CA Estimated	277	-67.8%
73	Lathrop, CA Estimated	276	+86.5%
73	Vacaville, CA Estimated	276	-18.1%
75	Los Banos, CA Estimated	270	-38.4%
76	Fairfield, CA Estimated	268	+1.5%
77	South San Francisco, CA Estimated	267	+175.3%
78	Palmdale, CA Estimated	258	+52.7%
79	Aliso Viejo, CA Estimated	250	+25%
80	Arcadia, CA Estimated	247	-7.5%
81	El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CA Estimated	244	+275.4%
82	Menlo Park, CA Estimated	238	+9.7%
83	Apple Valley, CA Estimated	237	+60.1%
84	Laguna Niguel, CA Estimated	235	-57.2%
85	Hesperia, CA Estimated	232	-23.4%
86	Glendale, CA Estimated	230	-79.4%
87	Daly City, CA Estimated	228	+82.4%
88	Corona, CA Estimated	221	+234.8%
89	Fullerton, CA Estimated	211	+113.1%
90	Morgan Hill, CA Estimated	210	-23.4%
91	Marina, CA Estimated	209	+182.4%
92	Santa Barbara, CA Estimated	205	+10.2%
93	Davis, CA Estimated	204	-21.8%
94	Woodland, CA Estimated	203	-22.8%
95	Costa Mesa, CA Estimated	196	-69.6%
96	Rohnert Park, CA Estimated	189	+54.9%
97	Culver City, CA Estimated	185	+2,983.3%
98	West Hollywood, CA Estimated	184	-52.8%
99	Hanford, CA Estimated	183	-43.9%
100	Lincoln, CA Estimated	181	-16.6%
100	Pomona, CA Estimated	181	-15.4%
102	El Monte, CA Estimated	179	+39.8%
103	Redondo Beach, CA Estimated	177	+43.9%
104	Vista, CA Estimated	176	+76%
105	Petaluma, CA Estimated	173	-8%
106	Pasadena, CA Estimated	171	-58.3%
107	National City, CA Estimated	166	+61.2%
108	Oakley, CA Estimated	162	-45.1%
109	Newport Beach, CA Estimated	161	+9.5%
110	San Jacinto, CA Estimated	158	+8.2%
111	Pittsburg, CA Estimated	154	-59.8%
111	Santee, CA Estimated	154	+92.5%
111	Victorville, CA Estimated	154	+33.9%
114	San Luis Obispo, CA Estimated	153	+64.5%
115	Simi Valley, CA Estimated	150	-34.5%
116	Redding, CA Estimated	149	+12%
117	Downey, CA Estimated	144	+188%
118	Shafter, CA Estimated	143	-0.7%
119	Pleasanton, CA Estimated	140	-57.7%
120	West Sacramento, CA Estimated	137	+34.3%
121	Palm Desert, CA Estimated	134	-53.5%
122	Rosemead, CA Estimated	133	+125.4%
123	Palm Springs, CA Estimated	132	-3.6%
124	Rio Vista, CA Estimated	130	-21.7%
125	Cypress, CA Estimated	128	-3.8%
126	Truckee, CA Estimated	124	+21.6%
127	Azusa, CA Estimated	123	+16%
128	Lancaster, CA Estimated	121	-51%
129	Walnut Creek, CA Estimated	118	-41.3%
130	Imperial, CA Estimated	117	-20.9%
131	Dinuba, CA Estimated	116	+452.4%
131	Madera, CA Estimated	116	-37.3%
131	Temecula, CA Estimated	116	-61.5%
134	Encinitas, CA Estimated	115	+35.3%
134	Palo Alto, CA Estimated	115	+17.3%
134	Richmond, CA Estimated	115	+42%
137	Dixon, CA Estimated	113	+16.5%
137	La Quinta, CA Estimated	113	+10.8%
139	La Habra, CA Estimated	111	-68%
139	Oakdale, CA Estimated	111	+1.8%
141	Imperial Beach, CA Estimated	110	+223.5%
142	Manhattan Beach, CA Estimated	106	-8.6%
142	Watsonville, CA Estimated	106	+14%
144	Loma Linda, CA Estimated	102	+3,300%
145	Glendora, CA Estimated	101	-53.7%
145	Santa Monica, CA Estimated	101	+65.6%
147	Arcata, CA Estimated	100	+163.2%
148	Orange, CA Estimated	97	-33.6%
148	San Gabriel, CA Estimated	97	+15.5%
150	Newman, CA Estimated	94	+100%
150	San Juan Capistrano, CA Estimated	94	+51.6%
152	Redlands, CA Estimated	92	+91.7%
152	Temple City, CA Estimated	92	+9.5%
154	Adelanto, CA Estimated	90	+1,400%
155	San Clemente, CA Estimated	88	-15.4%
156	Arvin, CA Estimated	86	+132.4%
157	Cathedral City, CA Estimated	85	+84.8%
157	Ripon, CA Estimated	85	+136.1%
157	San Leandro, CA Estimated	85	+2,025%
160	Wildomar, CA Estimated	83	-52%
161	Coachella, CA Estimated	82	+60.8%
162	Bell, CA Estimated	79	n/a
162	Yorba Linda, CA Estimated	79	-37.3%
164	Alhambra, CA Estimated	78	+110.8%
165	Diamond Bar, CA Estimated	77	+755.6%
165	Upland, CA Estimated	77	+16.7%
167	Atascadero, CA Estimated	76	-24.8%
167	Montclair, CA Estimated	76	+24.6%
169	Concord, CA Estimated	75	-61.5%
170	Half Moon Bay, CA Estimated	74	+48%
170	Merced, CA Estimated	74	+5.7%
172	American Canyon, CA Estimated	70	n/a
172	Greenfield, CA Estimated	70	+366.7%
172	Lindsay, CA Estimated	70	+169.2%
175	Belmont, CA Estimated	69	+1,050%
175	Galt, CA Estimated	69	-48.5%
175	Sanger, CA Estimated	69	+109.1%
175	Soledad, CA Estimated	69	-25.8%
175	Ukiah, CA Estimated	69	+23.2%
180	Cupertino, CA Estimated	68	+19.3%
180	Westminster, CA Estimated	68	-23.6%
182	Delano, CA Estimated	67	+97.1%
182	El Cerrito, CA Estimated	67	+2,133.3%
182	Highland, CA Estimated	67	-24.7%
182	Livingston, CA Estimated	67	+97.1%
186	Buena Park, CA Estimated	66	-10.8%
186	Healdsburg, CA Estimated	66	+266.7%
188	Auburn, CA Estimated	64	+204.8%
189	Anderson, CA Estimated	63	-22.2%
189	Beverly Hills, CA Estimated	63	+61.5%
189	Moorpark, CA Estimated	63	-25.9%
189	Ridgecrest, CA Estimated	63	+5%
189	Yuba City, CA Estimated	63	+5%
194	Bellflower, CA Estimated	62	+31.9%
194	Campbell, CA Estimated	62	-73.4%
194	Thousand Oaks, CA Estimated	62	-36.1%
197	Rialto, CA Estimated	61	+306.7%
197	Santa Cruz, CA Estimated	61	-63%
199	Fortuna, CA Estimated	59	+37.2%
200	Baldwin Park, CA Estimated	57	+103.6%
201	Alameda, CA Estimated	56	-37.8%
202	Dana Point, CA Estimated	55	+25%
202	Lemoore, CA Estimated	55	-77.6%
202	Suisun City, CA Estimated	55	n/a
202	Whittier, CA Estimated	55	+7.8%
206	Fillmore, CA Estimated	54	-12.9%
207	Arroyo Grande, CA Estimated	53	+71%
208	El Cajon, CA Estimated	50	-51%
209	Brawley, CA Estimated	49	-7.5%
209	Gardena, CA Estimated	49	-52%
211	Patterson, CA Estimated	47	+6.8%
211	Porterville, CA Estimated	47	+9.3%
213	Coalinga, CA Estimated	46	+4,500%
213	Napa, CA Estimated	46	-63.8%
215	Antioch, CA Estimated	45	-64.6%
215	Los Altos, CA Estimated	45	-13.5%
217	Chowchilla, CA Estimated	44	+193.3%
217	Norwalk, CA Estimated	44	+2.3%
217	Torrance, CA Estimated	44	+10%
217	Walnut, CA Estimated	44	-39.7%
221	Calimesa, CA Estimated	43	-17.3%
221	South Lake Tahoe, CA Estimated	43	+22.9%
221	Vallejo, CA Estimated	43	+10.3%
224	Goleta, CA Estimated	42	-65.3%
224	San Carlos, CA Estimated	42	-84.4%
226	Hercules, CA Estimated	41	+36.7%
226	Kerman, CA Estimated	41	-55.4%
228	Yucaipa, CA Estimated	40	+5.3%
229	Montebello, CA Estimated	39	+3,800%
229	Shasta Lake, CA Estimated	39	+39.3%
231	Mission Viejo, CA Estimated	37	+15.6%
232	Redwood City, CA Estimated	36	-93.2%
233	Desert Hot Springs, CA Estimated	35	+20.7%
233	Laguna Beach, CA Estimated	35	+40%
233	Red Bluff, CA Estimated	35	+45.8%
233	San Ramon, CA Estimated	35	+20.7%
237	Hermosa Beach, CA Estimated	34	-44.3%
237	Yucca Valley, CA Estimated	34	+88.9%
239	Coronado, CA Estimated	33	-44.1%
240	La Mirada, CA Estimated	31	n/a
241	Union City, CA Estimated	30	+2,900%
242	El Segundo, CA Estimated	28	n/a
243	Tehachapi, CA Estimated	27	+58.8%
244	King City, CA Estimated	26	-33.3%
244	Lemon Grove, CA Estimated	26	-74.8%
244	Lynwood, CA Estimated	26	+333.3%
244	Monrovia, CA Estimated	26	+52.9%
244	Salinas, CA Estimated	26	-50%
249	Kingsburg, CA Estimated	25	-60.3%
249	La Verne, CA Estimated	25	+66.7%

Showing the top 250 of 369. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of new privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in the year or month, from the US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey. Annual totals for the nation, states and counties; monthly counts for the nation and states.

Counts housing units, not buildings, starts, completions or sales. Monthly counts are not seasonally adjusted and do not add up exactly to the annual total, which includes later corrections; the national seasonally adjusted annual rate in the monthly New Residential Construction release is a different measure.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. 3 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2017 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2017a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2018). Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation (Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2017a.txt

MLA 9

Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2018, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2017a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2017a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2017a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_california_by_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation: Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2017a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West\%20Region/we2017a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation: Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2017a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2017a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"building_permit_units","level":"municipality","within":"California","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest housing units authorized by building permits?

Los Angeles, CA, with 14,846 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest housing units authorized by building permits?

Sierra Madre, CA, with 0 in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 3 cities have no value for 2017 and are not ranked.