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 2021, at 9,969. Sunrise, FL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 150 and the figure for Florida was 213,494. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest9,969Jacksonville, FL

Lowest0Sunrise, FL

Median150171 cities

Florida213,494History

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	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	9,969	+10.3%
2	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	6,512	+59.4%
3	Miami, FL Estimated	6,255	+74.6%
4	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	5,412	+53.4%
5	Orlando, FL Estimated	3,724	-19.1%
6	Palm Bay, FL Estimated	2,486	+94.5%
7	Tampa, FL Estimated	2,405	-27.8%
8	North Port, FL Estimated	2,388	+47.4%
9	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	2,280	+53.8%
10	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	1,853	+17.3%
11	West Palm Beach, FL Estimated	1,676	+228%
12	St. Petersburg, FL Estimated	1,635	+177.6%
13	Haines City, FL Estimated	1,521	+98%
14	Daytona Beach, FL Estimated	1,320	-13.4%
15	Gainesville, FL Estimated	1,258	+19.2%
16	Lakeland, FL Estimated	1,249	+2%
17	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	1,209	+10.2%
18	Plantation, FL Estimated	1,190	+38.2%
19	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	1,137	-63.4%
20	Davenport, FL Estimated	1,045	+102.9%
21	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	1,007	+13.5%
22	Sanford, FL Estimated	883	+148%
23	Venice, FL Estimated	823	+121.2%
24	Sarasota, FL Estimated	805	+390.9%
25	Bonita Springs, FL Estimated	796	+65.5%
26	Ocala, FL Estimated	776	+266%
27	DeLand, FL Estimated	763	+46.4%
28	Groveland, FL Estimated	674	+25%
29	Clermont, FL Estimated	662	+35.4%
30	Fort Lauderdale, FL Estimated	646	+20.3%
31	Longwood, FL Estimated	641	+1,182%
32	Hialeah, FL Estimated	620	-39.4%
33	Kissimmee, FL Estimated	614	+134.4%
34	Apopka, FL Estimated	604	-18.7%
34	Panama City Beach, FL Estimated	604	+58.5%
36	New Smyrna Beach, FL Estimated	588	+24.1%
37	Doral, FL Estimated	586	+17.4%
38	Orange City, FL Estimated	565	+4.4%
39	Homestead, FL Estimated	559	-0.5%
40	Port Orange, FL Estimated	551	+187%
41	Miramar, FL Estimated	545	-20.3%
42	Leesburg, FL Estimated	513	+41.3%
43	Parkland, FL Estimated	498	+103.3%
44	Auburndale, FL Estimated	482	-25.4%
45	Zephyrhills, FL Estimated	481	+29.3%
46	Deltona, FL Estimated	479	+7.4%
47	Punta Gorda, FL Estimated	471	+231.7%
48	Bradenton, FL Estimated	412	+171.1%
49	Pompano Beach, FL Estimated	404	+21%
50	West Melbourne, FL Estimated	399	-37.4%
51	Lynn Haven, FL Estimated	393	+111.3%
52	Minneola, FL Estimated	392	+82.3%
53	Fort Pierce, FL Estimated	373	+58.7%
54	North Miami Beach, FL Estimated	369	+36,800%
55	Palm Beach Gardens, FL Estimated	367	+15%
56	Boynton Beach, FL Estimated	363	+1,628.6%
57	Casselberry, FL Estimated	353	+27.9%
58	Stuart, FL Estimated	346	+476.7%
59	Sweetwater, FL Estimated	300	n/a
60	Ocoee, FL Estimated	299	-31.6%
61	Sebastian, FL Estimated	288	+63.6%
62	Miami Lakes, FL Estimated	279	+14.3%
63	Delray Beach, FL Estimated	273	+108.4%
64	Lake Worth Beach, FL Estimated	272	n/a
65	Marco Island, FL Estimated	257	+99.2%
66	Maitland, FL Estimated	251	+8,266.7%
67	Winter Garden, FL Estimated	250	+2.9%
68	Palmetto Bay, FL Estimated	240	+7,900%
69	Tavares, FL Estimated	231	-30.6%
70	St. Augustine, FL Estimated	219	+160.7%
71	Pinellas Park, FL Estimated	217	+404.7%
72	Pensacola, FL Estimated	215	+133.7%
73	Plant City, FL Estimated	214	+62.1%
74	North Miami, FL Estimated	206	+5.6%
75	Mascotte, FL Estimated	192	+4.9%
75	Naples, FL Estimated	192	-17.6%
77	Winter Springs, FL Estimated	191	+10.4%
78	Panama City, FL Estimated	181	-74.1%
79	Boca Raton, FL Estimated	179	+46.7%
79	Lake Alfred, FL Estimated	179	+397.2%
81	Crestview, FL Estimated	176	+20.5%
82	Tarpon Springs, FL Estimated	174	-39.8%
83	Davie, FL Estimated	165	+24.1%
84	Mount Dora, FL Estimated	162	+18.2%
85	Ormond Beach, FL Estimated	153	+10.9%
86	Brooksville, FL Estimated	150	+305.4%
87	Melbourne, FL Estimated	149	-69.2%
87	Titusville, FL Estimated	149	+14.6%
89	Dade City, FL Estimated	146	+942.9%
89	Lady Lake, FL Estimated	146	+15.9%
91	South Daytona, FL Estimated	136	-20.5%
92	Fernandina Beach, FL Estimated	131	+5.6%
93	Clearwater, FL Estimated	125	+2.5%
94	Riviera Beach, FL Estimated	121	-67.1%
95	Destin, FL Estimated	112	+6.7%
96	Hollywood, FL Estimated	106	-81.2%
97	Cocoa, FL Estimated	103	-36.4%
97	DeBary, FL Estimated	103	+14.4%
97	Royal Palm Beach, FL Estimated	103	+33.8%
97	Winter Park, FL Estimated	103	-1%
101	Jacksonville Beach, FL Estimated	100	+66.7%
102	Alachua, FL Estimated	98	+44.1%
102	Deerfield Beach, FL Estimated	98	-67.3%
104	Niceville, FL Estimated	91	-8.1%
104	Sunny Isles Beach, FL Estimated	91	-64.5%
106	Sebring, FL Estimated	90	+350%
107	New Port Richey, FL Estimated	88	+69.2%
108	Callaway, FL Estimated	79	+14.5%
109	Largo, FL Estimated	75	-11.8%
110	Tamarac, FL Estimated	70	-68.8%
111	Dunedin, FL Estimated	69	+7.8%
112	Bartow, FL Estimated	64	+10.3%
112	Marathon, FL Estimated	64	-50%
112	Palmetto, FL Estimated	64	+39.1%
115	Eustis, FL Estimated	63	-59.9%
116	Palm Springs, FL Estimated	59	+742.9%
117	Hallandale Beach, FL Estimated	54	-79.5%
118	Pinecrest, FL Estimated	51	+88.9%
119	Jupiter, FL Estimated	50	-37.5%
119	Miami Beach, FL Estimated	50	+51.5%
121	Green Cove Springs, FL Estimated	49	-30%
122	Lauderdale Lakes, FL Estimated	46	n/a
122	North Lauderdale, FL Estimated	46	+475%
124	Dania Beach, FL Estimated	45	+18.4%
124	Wellington, FL Estimated	45	+60.7%
126	Fort Walton Beach, FL Estimated	43	+13.2%
126	Rockledge, FL Estimated	43	-86.7%
128	Edgewater, FL Estimated	40	+14.3%
129	Lake Wales, FL Estimated	34	+13.3%
130	South Miami, FL Estimated	32	+10.3%
131	Key Biscayne, FL Estimated	31	+3.3%
132	Estero, FL Estimated	29	-72.4%
132	Lake Mary, FL Estimated	29	-27.5%
132	Oakland Park, FL Estimated	29	+26.1%
135	Coral Gables, FL Estimated	28	-15.2%
136	Weston, FL Estimated	26	+85.7%
137	Coral Springs, FL Estimated	25	-58.3%
138	Miami Gardens, FL Estimated	24	-96.5%
138	Miami Springs, FL Estimated	24	n/a
140	Atlantic Beach, FL Estimated	22	-37.1%
141	Gulfport, FL Estimated	21	+50%
142	Belle Glade, FL Estimated	19	-62%
143	Lake City, FL Estimated	17	+70%
143	North Palm Beach, FL Estimated	17	+41.7%
145	Temple Terrace, FL Estimated	16	-94.4%
146	Greenacres, FL Estimated	14	+250%
146	Lighthouse Point, FL Estimated	14	-22.2%
148	Wilton Manors, FL Estimated	13	+85.7%
149	Key West, FL Estimated	12	-33.3%
149	Lantana, FL Estimated	12	-96.6%
149	Margate, FL Estimated	12	-57.1%
152	West Park, FL Estimated	11	+10%
153	Oviedo, FL Estimated	10	-28.6%
154	Cocoa Beach, FL Estimated	9	+50%
155	Oldsmar, FL Estimated	8	+33.3%
156	Cutler Bay, FL Estimated	7	+133.3%
157	Cooper City, FL Estimated	6	-25%
157	Holly Hill, FL Estimated	6	+20%
157	Miami Shores, FL Estimated	6	+100%
160	Seminole, FL Estimated	5	-58.3%
161	Pembroke Pines, FL Estimated	4	-90.9%
162	Safety Harbor, FL Estimated	3	-70%
162	Satellite Beach, FL Estimated	3	-89.7%
164	Opa-locka, FL Estimated	2	0%
165	Hialeah Gardens, FL Estimated	1	n/a
166	Altamonte Springs, FL Estimated	0	-100%
166	Aventura, FL Estimated	0	n/a
166	Coconut Creek, FL Estimated	0	-100%
166	Florida City, FL Estimated	0	n/a
166	Lauderhill, FL Estimated	0	n/a
166	Sunrise, 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 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/South%20Region/so2021a.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 Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2021a.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, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Apr. 2022, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2021a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-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 Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2021a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-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 Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2021a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_florida_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 Florida by housing units authorized by building permits, 2021}},
  year = {2022},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2021a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-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/South\%20Region/so2021a.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, 2021
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/04/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2021a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/florida-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/South%20Region/so2021a.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 9,969 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Sunrise, FL, 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. 3 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.