Data / Rankings / Housing units authorized by building permits / Cities in Georgia

Cities in Georgia by housing units authorized by building permits

Atlanta, GA had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 92 cities in 2017, at 5,101. Waycross, GA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 92 and the figure for Georgia was 51,240. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest5,101Atlanta, GA
Lowest0Waycross, GA
Median9292 cities
Georgia51,240History

Top 40 cities, 2017

Atlanta, GA: 5,101 countAtlanta, GA5,101Sandy Springs, GA: 1,446 countSandy Springs, GA1,446Decatur, GA: 888 countDecatur, GA888Gainesville, GA: 506 countGainesville, GA506Warner Robins, GA: 497 countWarner Robins, GA497Columbus, GA: 475 countColumbus, GA475McDonough, GA: 413 countMcDonough, GA413Valdosta, GA: 407 countValdosta, GA407Suwanee, GA: 401 countSuwanee, GA401Savannah, GA: 384 countSavannah, GA384Canton, GA: 379 countCanton, GA379Winder, GA: 371 countWinder, GA371Sugar Hill, GA: 365 countSugar Hill, GA365Holly Springs, GA: 364 countHolly Springs, GA364Alpharetta, GA: 357 countAlpharetta, GA357Union City, GA: 355 countUnion City, GA355Perry, GA: 352 countPerry, GA352Newnan, GA: 309 countNewnan, GA309Brookhaven, GA: 300 countBrookhaven, GA300Richmond Hill, GA: 298 countRichmond Hill, GA298Peachtree City, GA: 282 countPeachtree City, GA282Woodstock, GA: 258 countWoodstock, GA258Braselton, GA: 250 countBraselton, GA250Pooler, GA: 250 countPooler, GA250Roswell, GA: 244 countRoswell, GA244Kingsland, GA: 234 countKingsland, GA234Smyrna, GA: 230 countSmyrna, GA230Milton, GA: 207 countMilton, GA207Flowery Branch, GA: 203 countFlowery Branch, GA203Hinesville, GA: 194 countHinesville, GA194Chamblee, GA: 193 countChamblee, GA193Johns Creek, GA: 188 countJohns Creek, GA188Loganville, GA: 184 countLoganville, GA184Locust Grove, GA: 181 countLocust Grove, GA181Douglasville, GA: 177 countDouglasville, GA177Grovetown, GA: 176 countGrovetown, GA176Fairburn, GA: 169 countFairburn, GA169Dallas, GA: 162 countDallas, GA162Powder Springs, GA: 162 countPowder Springs, GA162Buford, GA: 142 countBuford, GA142Atlanta, GA: 5,101 countAtlanta, GA5,101Sandy Springs, GA: 1,446 countSandy Springs, GA1,446Decatur, GA: 888 countDecatur, GA888Gainesville, GA: 506 countGainesville, GA506Warner Robins, GA: 497 countWarner Robins, GA497Columbus, GA: 475 countColumbus, GA475McDonough, GA: 413 countMcDonough, GA413Valdosta, GA: 407 countValdosta, GA407Suwanee, GA: 401 countSuwanee, GA401Savannah, GA: 384 countSavannah, GA384Canton, GA: 379 countCanton, GA379Winder, GA: 371 countWinder, GA371Sugar Hill, GA: 365 countSugar Hill, GA365Holly Springs, GA: 364 countHolly Springs, GA364Alpharetta, GA: 357 countAlpharetta, GA357Union City, GA: 355 countUnion City, GA355Perry, GA: 352 countPerry, GA352Newnan, GA: 309 countNewnan, GA309Brookhaven, GA: 300 countBrookhaven, GA300Richmond Hill, GA: 298 countRichmond Hill, GA298Peachtree City, GA: 282 countPeachtree City, GA282Woodstock, GA: 258 countWoodstock, GA258Braselton, GA: 250 countBraselton, GA250Pooler, GA: 250 countPooler, GA250Roswell, GA: 244 countRoswell, GA244Kingsland, GA: 234 countKingsland, GA234Smyrna, GA: 230 countSmyrna, GA230Milton, GA: 207 countMilton, GA207Flowery Branch, GA: 203 countFlowery Branch, GA203Hinesville, GA: 194 countHinesville, GA194Chamblee, GA: 193 countChamblee, GA193Johns Creek, GA: 188 countJohns Creek, GA188Loganville, GA: 184 countLoganville, GA184Locust Grove, GA: 181 countLocust Grove, GA181Douglasville, GA: 177 countDouglasville, GA177Grovetown, GA: 176 countGrovetown, GA176Fairburn, GA: 169 countFairburn, GA169Dallas, GA: 162 countDallas, GA162Powder Springs, GA: 162 countPowder Springs, GA162Buford, GA: 142 countBuford, GA142
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2017
count		Change on 2016
1Atlanta, GA Estimated5,101-36.5%
2Sandy Springs, GA Estimated1,446+72.8%
3Decatur, GA Estimated888+109.9%
4Gainesville, GA Estimated506-47.9%
5Warner Robins, GA Estimated497+84.1%
6Columbus, GA Estimated475+23.7%
7McDonough, GA Estimated413+31.9%
8Valdosta, GA Estimated407-4%
9Suwanee, GA Estimated401+928.2%
10Savannah, GA Estimated384+28%
11Canton, GA Estimated379-43.3%
12Winder, GA Estimated371+155.9%
13Sugar Hill, GA Estimated365+29.9%
14Holly Springs, GA Estimated364+44.4%
15Alpharetta, GA Estimated357+37.8%
16Union City, GA Estimated355+57.1%
17Perry, GA Estimated352+37.5%
18Newnan, GA Estimated309-10.4%
19Brookhaven, GA Estimated300+17.6%
20Richmond Hill, GA Estimated298+93.5%
21Peachtree City, GA Estimated282+224.1%
22Woodstock, GA Estimated258-21.8%
23Braselton, GA Estimated250+11.6%
23Pooler, GA Estimated250+23.8%
25Roswell, GA Estimated244-15%
26Kingsland, GA Estimated234+75.9%
27Smyrna, GA Estimated230+1.8%
28Milton, GA Estimated207-4.2%
29Flowery Branch, GA Estimated203+16.7%
30Hinesville, GA Estimated194+35.7%
31Chamblee, GA Estimated193-41.7%
32Johns Creek, GA Estimated188-32.1%
33Loganville, GA Estimated184+28.7%
34Locust Grove, GA Estimated181+88.5%
35Douglasville, GA Estimated177+14.9%
36Grovetown, GA Estimated176+44.3%
37Fairburn, GA Estimated169-68.8%
38Dallas, GA Estimated162+65.3%
38Powder Springs, GA Estimated162+217.6%
40Buford, GA Estimated142-8.4%
41Jefferson, GA Estimated140-38.1%
42Marietta, GA Estimated137-43.6%
43St. Marys, GA Estimated120+106.9%
44Snellville, GA Estimated115+475%
45Macon, GA Estimated103+15.7%
46Cartersville, GA Estimated94-51.5%
47Dunwoody, GA Estimated90+3.4%
48Calhoun, GA Estimated79+92.7%
49East Point, GA Estimated73+14.1%
50Villa Rica, GA Estimated66+46.7%
51Fayetteville, GA Estimated62-52.3%
52Lawrenceville, GA Estimated59-27.2%
53College Park, GA Estimated56+115.4%
54Douglas, GA Estimated55+2,650%
54Duluth, GA Estimated55+12.2%
56Rincon, GA Estimated52+52.9%
57LaGrange, GA Estimated48+4.3%
58Statesboro, GA Estimated46+4.5%
59Port Wentworth, GA Estimated45-81.3%
60Conyers, GA Estimated43+377.8%
61Albany, GA Estimated42-51.2%
62Bainbridge, GA Estimated37n/a
63Fort Oglethorpe, GA Estimated34-22.7%
64Cumming, GA Estimated33-58.2%
65Cairo, GA Estimated31+1,450%
65Carrollton, GA Estimated31-52.3%
67Moultrie, GA Estimated30+42.9%
68Acworth, GA Estimated29-75.4%
69Covington, GA Estimated28+64.7%
70Doraville, GA Estimated27+2,600%
70Thomasville, GA Estimated27-85.4%
72Dublin, GA Estimated25+66.7%
73Monroe, GA Estimated23+9.5%
74Lilburn, GA Estimated21+90.9%
75Norcross, GA Estimated19-48.6%
76Vidalia, GA Estimated15-16.7%
77Kennesaw, GA Estimated14-93.9%
77Tucker, GA Estimated14n/a
79Milledgeville, GA Estimated13+18.2%
80Tifton, GA Estimated10-92.2%
81Jesup, GA Estimated6n/a
82Americus, GA Estimated40%
82Peachtree Corners, GA Estimated4n/a
84Griffin, GA Estimated3-25%
84Lovejoy, GA Estimated3+50%
86Auburn, GA Estimated0n/a
86Cedartown, GA Estimated0-100%
86Clarkston, GA Estimated0-100%
86Forest Park, GA Estimated0n/a
86Garden City, GA Estimated0-100%
86Riverdale, GA Estimated0-100%
86Waycross, GA Estimated0n/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. 7 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/South%20Region/so2017a.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 Georgia by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt

MLA 9

Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Georgia by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2018, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-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 Georgia by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-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 Georgia by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-cities?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_georgia_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 Georgia by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-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/South\%20Region/so2017a.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 Georgia 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/South%20Region/so2017a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-cities?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-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/South%20Region/so2017a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Atlanta, GA, with 5,101 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Waycross, GA, 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. 7 cities have no value for 2017 and are not ranked.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Georgia: more rankings