Cities in Florida by housing units authorized by building permits

Jacksonville, FL had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 171 cities in 2016, at 5,517. Margate, FL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 120 and the figure for Florida was 116,240. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest5,517Jacksonville, FL

Lowest0Margate, FL

Median120171 cities

Florida116,240History

Top 40 cities, 2016

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2016 count	Change on 2015
1	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	5,517	+29.6%
2	Tampa, FL Estimated	4,262	+35.1%
3	Miami, FL Estimated	3,910	-39.8%
4	Orlando, FL Estimated	1,660	-35.8%
5	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	1,587	+45.6%
6	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	1,387	+12.9%
7	St. Petersburg, FL Estimated	1,297	-2.1%
8	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	1,259	+24.2%
9	Doral, FL Estimated	938	+17%
10	North Port, FL Estimated	898	+5.5%
11	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	886	+19.7%
12	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	869	+88.9%
13	Bonita Springs, FL Estimated	786	-31.4%
14	Bradenton, FL Estimated	764	+217%
14	Clermont, FL Estimated	764	+134.4%
16	Hialeah, FL Estimated	763	+505.6%
17	Boynton Beach, FL Estimated	720	+27.7%
18	Apopka, FL Estimated	645	+102.8%
19	Casselberry, FL Estimated	605	+60,400%
20	Boca Raton, FL Estimated	598	-38.7%
21	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	548	+54.4%
22	West Palm Beach, FL Estimated	514	+91.8%
23	Oviedo, FL Estimated	501	+191.3%
24	Lauderdale Lakes, FL Estimated	494	n/a
25	Ocoee, FL Estimated	475	+28.4%
26	Clearwater, FL Estimated	467	+110.4%
27	Pembroke Pines, FL Estimated	455	+8.6%
28	Hollywood, FL Estimated	451	-59.4%
29	Parkland, FL Estimated	444	+3.3%
30	Delray Beach, FL Estimated	434	+19.6%
31	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	433	+22.3%
32	Sarasota, FL Estimated	430	-40.9%
33	Palm Bay, FL Estimated	429	+32.8%
34	Port Orange, FL Estimated	424	+226.2%
35	Winter Springs, FL Estimated	421	+93.1%
36	Altamonte Springs, FL Estimated	410	+2,462.5%
36	Homestead, FL Estimated	410	-39%
36	Winter Garden, FL Estimated	410	-23.6%
39	Venice, FL Estimated	401	+106.7%
40	Coconut Creek, FL Estimated	385	+755.6%
41	Tavares, FL Estimated	381	+99.5%
42	Groveland, FL Estimated	378	+24.3%
42	Kissimmee, FL Estimated	378	+3.6%
44	Winter Park, FL Estimated	374	+325%
45	Davie, FL Estimated	367	-9.6%
46	DeLand, FL Estimated	365	+5.2%
47	Gainesville, FL Estimated	323	-9%
48	Coral Springs, FL Estimated	322	+77.9%
49	New Smyrna Beach, FL Estimated	316	+45%
50	Lakeland, FL Estimated	306	+21.9%
51	West Melbourne, FL Estimated	286	+71.3%
52	Sanford, FL Estimated	271	+375.4%
53	Melbourne, FL Estimated	257	+63.7%
54	Palm Beach Gardens, FL Estimated	255	-2.3%
55	Lantana, FL Estimated	254	+3,528.6%
56	Davenport, FL Estimated	249	+21.5%
57	Oakland Park, FL Estimated	222	+2,366.7%
58	Jupiter, FL Estimated	218	-23.2%
58	Pompano Beach, FL Estimated	218	-76.4%
60	Minneola, FL Estimated	212	+182.7%
61	Haines City, FL Estimated	205	+44.4%
62	Plantation, FL Estimated	197	+258.2%
63	Cocoa, FL Estimated	191	+132.9%
63	Leesburg, FL Estimated	191	+99%
65	Panama City Beach, FL Estimated	166	+23%
66	Lynn Haven, FL Estimated	164	-35.9%
67	Auburndale, FL Estimated	157	+37.7%
68	Sebastian, FL Estimated	152	-23.2%
69	Naples, FL Estimated	149	-42%
69	Ormond Beach, FL Estimated	149	+8%
71	Destin, FL Estimated	148	+105.6%
72	Miami Gardens, FL Estimated	147	+18.5%
73	Fort Lauderdale, FL Estimated	145	+13.3%
74	Green Cove Springs, FL Estimated	144	+1.4%
74	Zephyrhills, FL Estimated	144	+526.1%
76	Daytona Beach, FL Estimated	139	-51.2%
77	Rockledge, FL Estimated	133	+224.4%
78	Aventura, FL Estimated	131	-18.1%
79	Plant City, FL Estimated	129	-48.4%
80	Jacksonville Beach, FL Estimated	128	-3.8%
81	Mount Dora, FL Estimated	127	+62.8%
82	Titusville, FL Estimated	123	+50%
83	Estero, FL Estimated	121	n/a
83	Fernandina Beach, FL Estimated	121	+39.1%
83	Punta Gorda, FL Estimated	121	-34.2%
86	Eustis, FL Estimated	120	-50%
86	Satellite Beach, FL Estimated	120	+344.4%
88	Crestview, FL Estimated	117	+37.6%
89	Miami Beach, FL Estimated	116	+38.1%
90	Tamarac, FL Estimated	111	-57.1%
91	Marco Island, FL Estimated	104	-8%
92	Deltona, FL Estimated	101	+110.4%
93	Ocala, FL Estimated	100	-9.1%
94	Atlantic Beach, FL Estimated	97	-4%
95	Belle Glade, FL Estimated	94	+4,600%
96	Largo, FL Estimated	92	-89.7%
97	Lake Mary, FL Estimated	87	+190%
98	Maitland, FL Estimated	84	+4,100%
99	Miramar, FL Estimated	79	-80.5%
100	Greenacres, FL Estimated	77	+196.2%
100	Sunny Isles Beach, FL Estimated	77	+30.5%
100	Tarpon Springs, FL Estimated	77	+13.2%
103	Lady Lake, FL Estimated	71	+9.2%
104	Lake Wales, FL Estimated	70	+52.2%
105	Lake Alfred, FL Estimated	66	-23.3%
106	Niceville, FL Estimated	65	-21.7%
107	Wellington, FL Estimated	63	-81.3%
108	Panama City, FL Estimated	59	+210.5%
109	Bartow, FL Estimated	53	-53.5%
109	DeBary, FL Estimated	53	+82.8%
111	Pensacola, FL Estimated	52	+10.6%
112	Coral Gables, FL Estimated	51	+6.3%
112	North Miami Beach, FL Estimated	51	+6.3%
114	Pinecrest, FL Estimated	49	+63.3%
115	Key Biscayne, FL Estimated	47	-2.1%
116	Longwood, FL Estimated	45	-87%
117	Edgewater, FL Estimated	44	-30.2%
117	Oldsmar, FL Estimated	44	-12%
119	Royal Palm Beach, FL Estimated	42	+16.7%
120	Fort Walton Beach, FL Estimated	41	+24.2%
121	Marathon, FL Estimated	39	-65.8%
122	Alachua, FL Estimated	38	-25.5%
122	St. Augustine, FL Estimated	38	-53.7%
124	New Port Richey, FL Estimated	36	+50%
125	Pinellas Park, FL Estimated	35	-67%
126	Seminole, FL Estimated	33	-34%
127	Deerfield Beach, FL Estimated	32	+220%
128	Safety Harbor, FL Estimated	31	+24%
129	Dade City, FL Estimated	30	+200%
130	Hallandale Beach, FL Estimated	28	+47.4%
130	Riviera Beach, FL Estimated	28	+250%
132	Fort Pierce, FL Estimated	26	0%
133	Dania Beach, FL Estimated	24	+380%
133	Orange City, FL Estimated	24	+500%
135	North Miami, FL Estimated	23	+155.6%
135	Stuart, FL Estimated	23	n/a
137	Lighthouse Point, FL Estimated	22	0%
137	South Miami, FL Estimated	22	+633.3%
139	Mascotte, FL Estimated	20	+900%
139	Weston, FL Estimated	20	+900%
141	Palmetto Bay, FL Estimated	19	+58.3%
142	Wilton Manors, FL Estimated	18	-90%
143	Key West, FL Estimated	17	+1,600%
143	Sebring, FL Estimated	17	+6.3%
145	Cutler Bay, FL Estimated	15	+15.4%
146	North Lauderdale, FL Estimated	14	n/a
147	Cocoa Beach, FL Estimated	12	+50%
147	Lauderhill, FL Estimated	12	-36.8%
149	Temple Terrace, FL Estimated	10	-96.3%
150	Callaway, FL Estimated	9	-64%
150	Gulfport, FL Estimated	9	+12.5%
152	Palm Springs, FL Estimated	8	-61.9%
152	West Park, FL Estimated	8	+14.3%
154	Cooper City, FL Estimated	6	-40%
155	Hialeah Gardens, FL Estimated	5	0%
155	North Palm Beach, FL Estimated	5	-84.4%
157	Brooksville, FL Estimated	4	0%
157	Palatka, FL Estimated	4	n/a
159	Dunedin, FL Estimated	3	-25%
159	Holly Hill, FL Estimated	3	-25%
159	Miami Springs, FL Estimated	3	-50%
159	Palmetto, FL Estimated	3	-70%
163	Miami Lakes, FL Estimated	2	-60%
163	Miami Shores, FL Estimated	2	+100%
165	Opa-locka, FL Estimated	1	n/a
165	South Daytona, FL Estimated	1	n/a
165	Sunrise, FL Estimated	1	-99.8%
165	Sweetwater, FL Estimated	1	-66.7%
169	Florida City, FL Estimated	0	n/a
169	Lake City, FL Estimated	0	n/a
169	Margate, FL Estimated	0	-100%

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 2016 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/South%20Region/so2016a.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. (2017). Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation (Cities in Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2016a.txt

MLA 9

Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2017, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2016a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. Cities in Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2016a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2017) Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2016a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_florida_by_2016,
  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 Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2016}},
  year = {2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2016a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2016. 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/South\%20Region/so2016a.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 Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2016
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2016a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2016.
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/South%20Region/so2016a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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

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

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

Jacksonville, FL, with 5,517 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Margate, FL, with 0 in 2016.

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 2016 and are not ranked.