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 2019, at 6,805. Sweetwater, FL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 120 and the figure for Florida was 154,302. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest6,805Jacksonville, FL

Lowest0Sweetwater, FL

Median120171 cities

Florida154,302History

Top 40 cities, 2019

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2019 count	Change on 2018
1	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	6,805	-2.8%
2	Tampa, FL Estimated	4,777	+167.2%
3	Miami, FL Estimated	4,468	-3.4%
4	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	3,039	+3.3%
5	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	2,688	+3.3%
6	Orlando, FL Estimated	2,634	-14.5%
7	St. Petersburg, FL Estimated	2,118	+111.2%
8	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	1,978	-28.8%
9	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	1,682	+10.4%
10	Lakeland, FL Estimated	1,559	+258.4%
11	North Port, FL Estimated	1,352	+6.1%
12	Fort Lauderdale, FL Estimated	1,247	+267.8%
13	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	1,246	+29.8%
14	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	1,240	+36.4%
15	West Melbourne, FL Estimated	1,218	+146.1%
16	Gainesville, FL Estimated	1,214	+28.9%
17	Doral, FL Estimated	1,058	-49.9%
18	Plantation, FL Estimated	862	+227.8%
19	Palm Bay, FL Estimated	782	+13.5%
20	Boynton Beach, FL Estimated	769	+173.7%
21	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	757	-2.2%
22	Kissimmee, FL Estimated	719	-4%
23	Haines City, FL Estimated	696	+104.7%
24	Pinellas Park, FL Estimated	684	+136.7%
25	Davenport, FL Estimated	655	+116.2%
26	Bonita Springs, FL Estimated	606	-60.7%
27	Longwood, FL Estimated	596	+190.7%
28	Hialeah, FL Estimated	591	+112.6%
29	Groveland, FL Estimated	553	-9.5%
30	New Smyrna Beach, FL Estimated	549	+33.9%
31	St. Augustine, FL Estimated	532	-10.4%
32	West Palm Beach, FL Estimated	529	+45.7%
33	Clermont, FL Estimated	505	-28.6%
34	Venice, FL Estimated	498	-18.2%
35	Minneola, FL Estimated	490	+263%
35	Ocoee, FL Estimated	490	+14.5%
37	DeLand, FL Estimated	474	-27%
38	Pembroke Pines, FL Estimated	460	-23.6%
39	Deltona, FL Estimated	441	+82.2%
40	Daytona Beach, FL Estimated	436	+209.2%
41	Lake Wales, FL Estimated	431	+490.4%
42	Marathon, FL Estimated	420	+382.8%
43	Pompano Beach, FL Estimated	408	+22.2%
44	Casselberry, FL Estimated	407	+10,075%
45	Parkland, FL Estimated	405	+6.9%
46	Winter Garden, FL Estimated	391	-31.3%
47	Melbourne, FL Estimated	377	+75.3%
48	Bradenton, FL Estimated	362	-64.6%
49	Sarasota, FL Estimated	335	-39%
50	Apopka, FL Estimated	331	+24.4%
51	Lauderdale Lakes, FL Estimated	315	n/a
52	Tamarac, FL Estimated	307	+89.5%
53	Stuart, FL Estimated	301	+634.1%
54	Palm Beach Gardens, FL Estimated	291	+2.1%
55	Estero, FL Estimated	270	-33.5%
56	South Daytona, FL Estimated	258	n/a
57	Auburndale, FL Estimated	241	+119.1%
58	Hollywood, FL Estimated	231	-30.8%
59	Homestead, FL Estimated	225	-34.4%
59	Ocala, FL Estimated	225	-0.4%
61	Sanford, FL Estimated	224	-65.7%
62	Panama City Beach, FL Estimated	223	-56.2%
63	Deerfield Beach, FL Estimated	215	-11.5%
64	Leesburg, FL Estimated	211	-0.5%
65	Miami Lakes, FL Estimated	208	-0.5%
66	Lynn Haven, FL Estimated	200	+6.4%
67	Miami Gardens, FL Estimated	195	+1,118.8%
68	Davie, FL Estimated	186	+353.7%
69	Crestview, FL Estimated	182	+1.1%
70	Sebastian, FL Estimated	181	+2.3%
71	Zephyrhills, FL Estimated	178	-7.8%
72	Royal Palm Beach, FL Estimated	173	+38.4%
73	Panama City, FL Estimated	172	+55%
74	Green Cove Springs, FL Estimated	167	+56.1%
75	Fernandina Beach, FL Estimated	165	-57.8%
76	Mascotte, FL Estimated	162	+19.1%
77	Winter Springs, FL Estimated	155	+369.7%
78	Mount Dora, FL Estimated	150	+16.3%
79	Fort Pierce, FL Estimated	138	-7.4%
79	Orange City, FL Estimated	138	+115.6%
81	Port Orange, FL Estimated	129	-36.5%
82	Naples, FL Estimated	126	+2.4%
83	Clearwater, FL Estimated	125	-76.7%
84	Riviera Beach, FL Estimated	124	-59.9%
85	Delray Beach, FL Estimated	122	+64.9%
86	Boca Raton, FL Estimated	120	-11.8%
87	Dade City, FL Estimated	118	+686.7%
88	Niceville, FL Estimated	117	+31.5%
89	Marco Island, FL Estimated	108	+24.1%
90	Jupiter, FL Estimated	104	-11.9%
90	Lady Lake, FL Estimated	104	-14.8%
92	Titusville, FL Estimated	103	0%
93	Winter Park, FL Estimated	100	-12.3%
94	North Miami, FL Estimated	97	+470.6%
95	Cocoa, FL Estimated	93	+830%
96	Miramar, FL Estimated	91	-50.3%
97	Sunny Isles Beach, FL Estimated	90	+4.7%
98	Pensacola, FL Estimated	89	-20.5%
99	Tarpon Springs, FL Estimated	88	+6%
100	Jacksonville Beach, FL Estimated	86	-11.3%
101	Punta Gorda, FL Estimated	85	-51.1%
102	Brooksville, FL Estimated	84	-35.4%
103	Palm Springs, FL Estimated	79	-3.7%
104	Temple Terrace, FL Estimated	78	+875%
105	Largo, FL Estimated	74	-6.3%
106	Wilton Manors, FL Estimated	72	+500%
107	DeBary, FL Estimated	71	+1.4%
108	Rockledge, FL Estimated	67	-73.7%
109	Dunedin, FL Estimated	64	-13.5%
110	Palmetto, FL Estimated	60	+900%
111	Coral Springs, FL Estimated	59	+78.8%
112	New Port Richey, FL Estimated	58	+56.8%
113	Seminole, FL Estimated	56	+100%
114	Callaway, FL Estimated	55	+1.9%
115	Lake Mary, FL Estimated	52	-43.5%
116	Ormond Beach, FL Estimated	49	-55%
117	Margate, FL Estimated	47	-67.6%
118	Alachua, FL Estimated	44	-4.3%
119	Plant City, FL Estimated	42	-68.2%
120	Dania Beach, FL Estimated	40	+8.1%
120	Pinecrest, FL Estimated	40	+2.6%
120	Tavares, FL Estimated	40	-25.9%
123	Wellington, FL Estimated	39	-25%
124	Atlantic Beach, FL Estimated	38	-53.7%
124	Bartow, FL Estimated	38	-35.6%
124	Miami Beach, FL Estimated	38	+22.6%
127	Destin, FL Estimated	35	-47.8%
127	Fort Walton Beach, FL Estimated	35	-25.5%
129	Lake Alfred, FL Estimated	32	-68.6%
130	Edgewater, FL Estimated	30	-9.1%
130	South Miami, FL Estimated	30	+130.8%
132	North Lauderdale, FL Estimated	29	n/a
133	Oakland Park, FL Estimated	28	+12%
134	Key Biscayne, FL Estimated	27	+3.8%
135	Coral Gables, FL Estimated	26	-25.7%
136	Eustis, FL Estimated	24	-27.3%
136	Key West, FL Estimated	24	+20%
136	Weston, FL Estimated	24	-35.1%
139	Greenacres, FL Estimated	23	-28.1%
139	Oviedo, FL Estimated	23	-82.2%
139	Satellite Beach, FL Estimated	23	-36.1%
142	Hallandale Beach, FL Estimated	19	-55.8%
143	Safety Harbor, FL Estimated	16	-20%
144	Florida City, FL Estimated	14	n/a
144	Lighthouse Point, FL Estimated	14	+27.3%
144	Sebring, FL Estimated	14	-17.6%
147	Coconut Creek, FL Estimated	12	-25%
147	North Miami Beach, FL Estimated	12	-7.7%
149	Gulfport, FL Estimated	11	-35.3%
150	Cutler Bay, FL Estimated	10	0%
151	West Park, FL Estimated	8	-50%
152	Lantana, FL Estimated	7	-98.1%
153	Cocoa Beach, FL Estimated	6	-14.3%
153	North Palm Beach, FL Estimated	6	0%
155	Palmetto Bay, FL Estimated	5	-97.7%
156	Holly Hill, FL Estimated	4	-88.9%
156	Maitland, FL Estimated	4	+33.3%
156	Miami Shores, FL Estimated	4	+33.3%
156	Miami Springs, FL Estimated	4	+33.3%
156	Oldsmar, FL Estimated	4	-96.4%
161	Belle Glade, FL Estimated	3	-57.1%
162	Cooper City, FL Estimated	2	-86.7%
162	Lake City, FL Estimated	2	-33.3%
164	Hialeah Gardens, FL Estimated	1	-50%
164	Opa-locka, FL Estimated	1	n/a
166	Altamonte Springs, FL Estimated	0	-100%
166	Aventura, FL Estimated	0	-100%
166	Lauderhill, FL Estimated	0	-100%
166	Palatka, FL Estimated	0	-100%
166	Sunrise, FL Estimated	0	n/a
166	Sweetwater, FL Estimated	0	n/a

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 2019 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/so2019a.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. (2020). 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, 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2019a.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, 2019. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2020, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2019a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2019. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2020. 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, 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2019a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2020) 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, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2019a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_florida_by_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  year = {2020},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2019a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2019. 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/so2019a.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, 2019
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2019a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2019.
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/so2019a.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 6,805 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Sweetwater, FL, with 0 in 2019.

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 2019 and are not ranked.