Cities in California by housing units authorized by building permits

Los Angeles, CA had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 368 cities in 2021, at 14,088. Sierra Madre, CA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 92 and the figure for California was 119,436. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest14,088Los Angeles, CA

Lowest0Sierra Madre, CA

Median92368 cities

California119,436History

Top 40 cities, 2021

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2021 count	Change on 2020
1	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	14,088	+14.6%
2	San Diego, CA Estimated	4,788	+2.3%
3	Sacramento, CA Estimated	3,083	-14%
4	San Francisco, CA Estimated	2,519	+25.7%
5	Irvine, CA Estimated	2,362	+15.8%
6	Fresno, CA Estimated	2,178	+38.2%
7	Roseville, CA Estimated	1,883	+15.1%
8	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	1,756	+59.6%
9	Santa Rosa, CA Estimated	1,451	+131.1%
10	Sunnyvale, CA Estimated	1,400	+225.6%
11	Oakland, CA Estimated	1,351	+62.8%
12	Menifee, CA Estimated	1,264	-12.9%
13	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,162	-33.1%
14	Fontana, CA Estimated	1,052	-8%
15	Clovis, CA Estimated	1,037	-10%
16	Lincoln, CA Estimated	1,016	+86.1%
17	Napa, CA Estimated	977	+31.7%
18	Rancho Cucamonga, CA Estimated	973	+178.8%
19	Tracy, CA Estimated	958	+10.2%
20	Folsom, CA Estimated	949	+69.8%
21	Lathrop, CA Estimated	937	+73.2%
22	Anaheim, CA Estimated	919	+104.7%
23	Long Beach, CA Estimated	908	+8.1%
24	Riverside, CA Estimated	883	+156.7%
25	Ontario, CA Estimated	882	+19.4%
26	Stockton, CA Estimated	855	+16.2%
27	Santa Ana, CA Estimated	851	-5.3%
28	Visalia, CA Estimated	840	+38.4%
29	Dublin, CA Estimated	770	+55.2%
30	Chico, CA Estimated	769	+54.7%
31	Paradise, CA Estimated	764	-26.2%
32	Brentwood, CA Estimated	742	+170.8%
33	Indio, CA Estimated	738	+49.4%
34	Merced, CA Estimated	723	-2.8%
35	Fremont, CA Estimated	719	+151.4%
36	Manteca, CA Estimated	711	+7.4%
37	Lancaster, CA Estimated	677	+94.5%
38	Pittsburg, CA Estimated	676	+265.4%
39	Antioch, CA Estimated	675	-2.5%
40	San Jose, CA Estimated	658	-51.9%
41	Rocklin, CA Estimated	657	+55%
42	Victorville, CA Estimated	642	+27.4%
43	West Sacramento, CA Estimated	628	+6.6%
44	Alameda, CA Estimated	618	+77.6%
45	San Luis Obispo, CA Estimated	602	+36.8%
46	Vacaville, CA Estimated	594	-10.1%
47	Santa Maria, CA Estimated	592	+28.4%
48	Chino, CA Estimated	575	+30.7%
49	Elk Grove, CA Estimated	563	-25.9%
50	Rancho Cordova, CA Estimated	552	-3.5%
51	Temecula, CA Estimated	503	+55.2%
52	Oceanside, CA Estimated	491	+120.2%
53	Oakley, CA Estimated	488	+7%
54	Placentia, CA Estimated	480	+4,263.6%
55	San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA Estimated	477	+31.4%
56	Burlingame, CA Estimated	446	+203.4%
57	Beaumont, CA Estimated	442	+63.1%
57	South Gate, CA Estimated	442	+204.8%
59	Murrieta, CA Estimated	440	+97.3%
60	Stanton, CA Estimated	437	+199.3%
61	Escondido, CA Estimated	432	+70.1%
62	Lake Forest, CA Estimated	409	-0.7%
62	Santa Clara, CA Estimated	409	-33.2%
64	Newark, CA Estimated	398	-13.7%
65	Hollister, CA Estimated	396	+23%
66	Redlands, CA Estimated	392	+396.2%
67	Moreno Valley, CA Estimated	383	-17.1%
68	Santa Clarita, CA Estimated	366	-75.1%
69	Fairfield, CA Estimated	365	-57.6%
70	Shafter, CA Estimated	363	+34.4%
71	Lodi, CA Estimated	357	-15.6%
72	Oxnard, CA Estimated	347	+2.4%
73	Duarte, CA Estimated	346	+11,433.3%
74	San Marcos, CA Estimated	335	+5.7%
75	Hayward, CA Estimated	334	-37.9%
76	Pasadena, CA Estimated	330	-1.8%
77	Davis, CA Estimated	324	+149.2%
78	Rancho Mirage, CA Estimated	323	+44.2%
79	Berkeley, CA Estimated	316	-6.8%
80	Jurupa Valley, CA Estimated	315	-44.6%
81	Modesto, CA Estimated	311	+43.3%
82	Mountain View, CA Estimated	298	-44.4%
83	Hanford, CA Estimated	290	+77.9%
84	Healdsburg, CA Estimated	289	+1,056%
85	Palm Springs, CA Estimated	288	+118.2%
85	Palmdale, CA Estimated	288	+21.5%
87	Garden Grove, CA Estimated	274	+15.6%
88	Rohnert Park, CA Estimated	272	+11%
89	Santa Cruz, CA Estimated	267	+394.4%
90	San Mateo, CA Estimated	264	+543.9%
91	La Quinta, CA Estimated	256	+34.7%
92	Hesperia, CA Estimated	253	-36.1%
92	Oroville, CA Estimated	253	+295.3%
92	Whittier, CA Estimated	253	-22.6%
95	Madera, CA Estimated	251	-22.3%
96	Gilroy, CA Estimated	248	+3.8%
97	Burbank, CA Estimated	234	+81.4%
98	Santa Barbara, CA Estimated	229	+94.1%
99	Brawley, CA Estimated	227	+78.7%
99	Porterville, CA Estimated	227	+32%
101	Lake Elsinore, CA Estimated	221	-50.6%
101	Marina, CA Estimated	221	+104.6%
103	Cathedral City, CA Estimated	220	-12.4%
104	Hemet, CA Estimated	219	+54.2%
105	Alhambra, CA Estimated	218	+303.7%
106	Citrus Heights, CA Estimated	215	+877.3%
107	Banning, CA Estimated	212	-55.5%
108	Mission Viejo, CA Estimated	210	+438.5%
108	Santa Paula, CA Estimated	210	+31.3%
110	Newport Beach, CA Estimated	209	+13%
111	Adelanto, CA Estimated	208	+27.6%
112	San Bernardino, CA Estimated	207	+613.8%
113	Milpitas, CA Estimated	201	-50.9%
113	Perris, CA Estimated	201	+18.2%
113	Redding, CA Estimated	201	-6.1%
116	Salinas, CA Estimated	198	-3.4%
117	Arcadia, CA Estimated	197	+19.4%
118	Redwood City, CA Estimated	193	+33.1%
118	West Hollywood, CA Estimated	193	+78.7%
120	Laguna Niguel, CA Estimated	192	n/a
121	American Canyon, CA Estimated	190	+6,233.3%
122	Emeryville, CA Estimated	189	-62.5%
122	San Clemente, CA Estimated	189	+687.5%
124	Desert Hot Springs, CA Estimated	186	+141.6%
125	Montebello, CA Estimated	185	+537.9%
125	Santa Monica, CA Estimated	185	+20.9%
127	Daly City, CA Estimated	183	+221.1%
128	Buena Park, CA Estimated	182	+237%
129	Corona, CA Estimated	177	-30%
130	Menlo Park, CA Estimated	173	+1,341.7%
131	Glendale, CA Estimated	167	-13.9%
132	Huntington Beach, CA Estimated	162	+30.6%
133	Inglewood, CA Estimated	158	+7.5%
133	Tulare, CA Estimated	158	-50.8%
135	Palm Desert, CA Estimated	157	+220.4%
136	Woodland, CA Estimated	155	-54.3%
137	Camarillo, CA Estimated	154	+57.1%
137	Imperial, CA Estimated	154	-18.5%
139	Pleasanton, CA Estimated	153	+28.6%
140	Ridgecrest, CA Estimated	152	+108.2%
141	Apple Valley, CA Estimated	147	+33.6%
141	South San Francisco, CA Estimated	147	+4,800%
143	Azusa, CA Estimated	146	+49%
143	Reedley, CA Estimated	146	+942.9%
145	Rosemead, CA Estimated	144	+125%
145	Watsonville, CA Estimated	144	+23.1%
147	La Mesa, CA Estimated	142	-47%
148	Santee, CA Estimated	141	-21.7%
149	Los Gatos, CA Estimated	139	+33.7%
150	King City, CA Estimated	138	+150.9%
151	Rio Vista, CA Estimated	137	+470.8%
152	Greenfield, CA Estimated	135	+84.9%
153	Los Altos, CA Estimated	134	+173.5%
154	Encinitas, CA Estimated	132	+23.4%
155	Orange, CA Estimated	131	+227.5%
156	Palo Alto, CA Estimated	129	-37.4%
157	Atascadero, CA Estimated	127	+188.6%
157	Westminster, CA Estimated	127	-53.1%
159	Dixon, CA Estimated	126	+9.6%
160	San Jacinto, CA Estimated	123	-2.4%
161	Downey, CA Estimated	121	+112.3%
162	Bellflower, CA Estimated	120	+185.7%
162	Pomona, CA Estimated	120	-75%
164	Coachella, CA Estimated	119	-13.1%
164	Galt, CA Estimated	119	+221.6%
166	Redondo Beach, CA Estimated	117	+154.3%
167	Truckee, CA Estimated	116	+27.5%
168	Los Banos, CA Estimated	114	+9.6%
169	Fillmore, CA Estimated	113	+9.7%
169	Turlock, CA Estimated	113	-19.3%
171	Loma Linda, CA Estimated	112	+38.3%
171	Upland, CA Estimated	112	+86.7%
173	Petaluma, CA Estimated	111	+428.6%
174	Culver City, CA Estimated	110	+61.8%
175	Carlsbad, CA Estimated	107	-76.6%
176	South El Monte, CA Estimated	106	+130.4%
177	San Fernando, CA Estimated	101	+2%
178	Lemoore, CA Estimated	99	+10%
179	Lynwood, CA Estimated	98	+1,860%
180	Dinuba, CA Estimated	96	+6.7%
181	Vista, CA Estimated	95	-81%
182	La Mirada, CA Estimated	94	+193.8%
182	Morgan Hill, CA Estimated	94	+129.3%
182	Richmond, CA Estimated	94	-32.9%
185	Saratoga, CA Estimated	90	+34.3%
186	San Ramon, CA Estimated	89	+27.1%
187	National City, CA Estimated	83	-72.8%
187	Walnut Creek, CA Estimated	83	-60.5%
189	Bell, CA Estimated	82	+26.2%
189	Campbell, CA Estimated	82	+127.8%
189	Novato, CA Estimated	82	+115.8%
192	Fountain Valley, CA Estimated	80	+105.1%
192	Millbrae, CA Estimated	80	-80%
192	San Rafael, CA Estimated	80	+166.7%
195	Poway, CA Estimated	78	+2.6%
196	Atwater, CA Estimated	77	+2,466.7%
196	El Monte, CA Estimated	77	+51%
198	Marysville, CA Estimated	75	n/a
199	El Centro, CA Estimated	74	-37.3%
200	Torrance, CA Estimated	72	+4.3%
201	Chowchilla, CA Estimated	71	+1,083.3%
201	Manhattan Beach, CA Estimated	71	+16.4%
203	Calimesa, CA Estimated	68	-80.2%
203	Windsor, CA Estimated	68	+1,260%
205	Cupertino, CA Estimated	67	+36.7%
206	Temple City, CA Estimated	66	+29.4%
206	Wasco, CA Estimated	66	+94.1%
208	Calexico, CA Estimated	65	+490.9%
209	Gardena, CA Estimated	64	+1.6%
210	La Habra, CA Estimated	63	+425%
210	Martinez, CA Estimated	63	+250%
212	Concord, CA Estimated	62	-77.9%
212	Fortuna, CA Estimated	62	+26.5%
214	Laguna Beach, CA Estimated	60	+17.6%
214	Yucaipa, CA Estimated	60	+122.2%
216	Patterson, CA Estimated	59	+9.3%
216	Soledad, CA Estimated	59	+103.4%
218	Carson, CA Estimated	56	-48.1%
218	Yuba City, CA Estimated	56	+3.7%
220	Kerman, CA Estimated	55	+175%
220	San Gabriel, CA Estimated	55	-72.4%
222	Arcata, CA Estimated	54	-16.9%
222	Arroyo Grande, CA Estimated	54	+10.2%
222	Hillsborough, CA Estimated	54	+145.5%
222	San Leandro, CA Estimated	54	+170%
226	Compton, CA Estimated	53	+152.4%
226	Glendora, CA Estimated	53	+89.3%
228	Simi Valley, CA Estimated	52	-66.5%
228	Wildomar, CA Estimated	52	+4%
230	El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CA Estimated	51	+21.4%
230	Riverbank, CA Estimated	51	+70%
230	Solana Beach, CA Estimated	51	+325%
233	Pico Rivera, CA Estimated	50	-16.7%
234	Dana Point, CA Estimated	49	+22.5%
235	Mill Valley, CA Estimated	47	+17.5%
235	Rialto, CA Estimated	47	-2.1%
237	San Carlos, CA Estimated	46	+43.8%
238	Avenal, CA Estimated	45	+136.8%
238	El Cerrito, CA Estimated	45	-73.5%
238	Monrovia, CA Estimated	45	+73.1%
241	Colton, CA Estimated	44	-49.4%
242	Foster City, CA Estimated	43	+34.4%
242	Sanger, CA Estimated	43	+126.3%
244	Pacifica, CA Estimated	42	+4,100%
245	Baldwin Park, CA Estimated	41	+1,950%
245	El Cajon, CA Estimated	41	-21.2%
245	Lompoc, CA Estimated	41	n/a
248	Fullerton, CA Estimated	40	-4.8%
248	Oakdale, CA Estimated	40	+8.1%
250	Danville, CA Estimated	38	+18.8%

Showing the top 250 of 368. 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. 4 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2021 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/we2021a.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. (2022). 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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2021a.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, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Apr. 2022, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2021a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2022. 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2021a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2022) 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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2021a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_california_by_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2022},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2021a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2021. 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/we2021a.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, 2021
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/04/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2021a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/california-cities?period=2021.
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/we2021a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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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 14,088 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Sierra Madre, CA, with 0 in 2021.

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. 4 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.