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 95 cities in 2020, at 1,674. Riverdale, GA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 152 and the figure for Georgia was 55,827. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest1,674Atlanta, GA
Lowest0Riverdale, GA
Median15295 cities
Georgia55,827History

Top 40 cities, 2020

Atlanta, GA: 1,674 countAtlanta, GA1,674Columbus, GA: 1,342 countColumbus, GA1,342South Fulton, GA: 897 countSouth Fulton, GA897Pooler, GA: 676 countPooler, GA676Stonecrest, GA: 671 countStonecrest, GA671Brookhaven, GA: 524 countBrookhaven, GA524Valdosta, GA: 496 countValdosta, GA496Warner Robins, GA: 492 countWarner Robins, GA492Perry, GA: 490 countPerry, GA490LaGrange, GA: 488 countLaGrange, GA488Marietta, GA: 465 countMarietta, GA465Woodstock, GA: 452 countWoodstock, GA452Canton, GA: 451 countCanton, GA451Gainesville, GA: 445 countGainesville, GA445McDonough, GA: 441 countMcDonough, GA441Suwanee, GA: 422 countSuwanee, GA422Port Wentworth, GA: 404 countPort Wentworth, GA404Douglasville, GA: 395 countDouglasville, GA395Holly Springs, GA: 377 countHolly Springs, GA377Alpharetta, GA: 367 countAlpharetta, GA367Savannah, GA: 349 countSavannah, GA349Lovejoy, GA: 304 countLovejoy, GA304Flowery Branch, GA: 294 countFlowery Branch, GA294Braselton, GA: 288 countBraselton, GA288Union City, GA: 276 countUnion City, GA276Villa Rica, GA: 272 countVilla Rica, GA272Kingsland, GA: 267 countKingsland, GA267Roswell, GA: 265 countRoswell, GA265Lilburn, GA: 250 countLilburn, GA250Grovetown, GA: 248 countGrovetown, GA248Richmond Hill, GA: 243 countRichmond Hill, GA243Locust Grove, GA: 235 countLocust Grove, GA235Buford, GA: 234 countBuford, GA234Peachtree City, GA: 233 countPeachtree City, GA233Winder, GA: 222 countWinder, GA222Smyrna, GA: 220 countSmyrna, GA220Jefferson, GA: 204 countJefferson, GA204Auburn, GA: 196 countAuburn, GA196Newnan, GA: 190 countNewnan, GA190Tucker, GA: 189 countTucker, GA189Atlanta, GA: 1,674 countAtlanta, GA1,674Columbus, GA: 1,342 countColumbus, GA1,342South Fulton, GA: 897 countSouth Fulton, GA897Pooler, GA: 676 countPooler, GA676Stonecrest, GA: 671 countStonecrest, GA671Brookhaven, GA: 524 countBrookhaven, GA524Valdosta, GA: 496 countValdosta, GA496Warner Robins, GA: 492 countWarner Robins, GA492Perry, GA: 490 countPerry, GA490LaGrange, GA: 488 countLaGrange, GA488Marietta, GA: 465 countMarietta, GA465Woodstock, GA: 452 countWoodstock, GA452Canton, GA: 451 countCanton, GA451Gainesville, GA: 445 countGainesville, GA445McDonough, GA: 441 countMcDonough, GA441Suwanee, GA: 422 countSuwanee, GA422Port Wentworth, GA: 404 countPort Wentworth, GA404Douglasville, GA: 395 countDouglasville, GA395Holly Springs, GA: 377 countHolly Springs, GA377Alpharetta, GA: 367 countAlpharetta, GA367Savannah, GA: 349 countSavannah, GA349Lovejoy, GA: 304 countLovejoy, GA304Flowery Branch, GA: 294 countFlowery Branch, GA294Braselton, GA: 288 countBraselton, GA288Union City, GA: 276 countUnion City, GA276Villa Rica, GA: 272 countVilla Rica, GA272Kingsland, GA: 267 countKingsland, GA267Roswell, GA: 265 countRoswell, GA265Lilburn, GA: 250 countLilburn, GA250Grovetown, GA: 248 countGrovetown, GA248Richmond Hill, GA: 243 countRichmond Hill, GA243Locust Grove, GA: 235 countLocust Grove, GA235Buford, GA: 234 countBuford, GA234Peachtree City, GA: 233 countPeachtree City, GA233Winder, GA: 222 countWinder, GA222Smyrna, GA: 220 countSmyrna, GA220Jefferson, GA: 204 countJefferson, GA204Auburn, GA: 196 countAuburn, GA196Newnan, GA: 190 countNewnan, GA190Tucker, GA: 189 countTucker, GA189
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2020
count		Change on 2019
1Atlanta, GA Estimated1,674-49%
2Columbus, GA Estimated1,342+97.1%
3South Fulton, GA Estimated897+233.5%
4Pooler, GA Estimated676+192.6%
5Stonecrest, GA Estimated671+125.9%
6Brookhaven, GA Estimated524+153.1%
7Valdosta, GA Estimated496-6.9%
8Warner Robins, GA Estimated492+22.1%
9Perry, GA Estimated490-10.4%
10LaGrange, GA Estimated488+54.4%
11Marietta, GA Estimated465+74.8%
12Woodstock, GA Estimated452+87.6%
13Canton, GA Estimated451-37.2%
14Gainesville, GA Estimated445-16.5%
15McDonough, GA Estimated441-1.1%
16Suwanee, GA Estimated422+12.5%
17Port Wentworth, GA Estimated404+239.5%
18Douglasville, GA Estimated395+79.5%
19Holly Springs, GA Estimated377-5.3%
20Alpharetta, GA Estimated367+61%
21Savannah, GA Estimated349+2.9%
22Lovejoy, GA Estimated304+11.4%
23Flowery Branch, GA Estimated294+26.2%
24Braselton, GA Estimated288+2.5%
25Union City, GA Estimated276-29%
26Villa Rica, GA Estimated272-2.2%
27Kingsland, GA Estimated267+92.1%
28Roswell, GA Estimated265+8.2%
29Lilburn, GA Estimated250+123.2%
30Grovetown, GA Estimated248-56.5%
31Richmond Hill, GA Estimated243-9.7%
32Locust Grove, GA Estimated235-22.7%
33Buford, GA Estimated234+46.3%
34Peachtree City, GA Estimated233+28.7%
35Winder, GA Estimated222+85%
36Smyrna, GA Estimated220+7.8%
37Jefferson, GA Estimated204+85.5%
38Auburn, GA Estimated196+110.8%
39Newnan, GA Estimated190-71.5%
40Tucker, GA Estimated189+3.3%
41Dallas, GA Estimated187+19.9%
42Griffin, GA Estimated182+4,450%
43Loganville, GA Estimated168+20%
44Albany, GA Estimated165-30.7%
44Doraville, GA Estimated165+870.6%
46Fayetteville, GA Estimated162+30.6%
47Macon, GA Estimated157+18.9%
48Sandy Springs, GA Estimated152-24.4%
49Johns Creek, GA Estimated143-17.8%
50Hinesville, GA Estimated138-80.2%
50Snellville, GA Estimated138+46.8%
52Statesboro, GA Estimated136+15.3%
53Stockbridge, GA Estimated135+8%
54Calhoun, GA Estimated125-6%
55Milton, GA Estimated119-17.4%
56Lawrenceville, GA Estimated114+48.1%
57East Point, GA Estimated112+20.4%
58Powder Springs, GA Estimated111+76.2%
59Monroe, GA Estimated103-18.9%
60Conyers, GA Estimated102-38.9%
61Cumming, GA Estimated98+133.3%
62St. Marys, GA Estimated97-23.6%
63Cartersville, GA Estimated95-37.5%
64Fairburn, GA Estimated93-32.6%
64Sugar Hill, GA Estimated93-34.5%
66Carrollton, GA Estimated87-4.4%
67Tifton, GA Estimated85-43%
68Duluth, GA Estimated79-21.8%
69Norcross, GA Estimated78-85.4%
70College Park, GA Estimated73+73.8%
71Fort Oglethorpe, GA Estimated66+69.2%
72Thomasville, GA Estimated62+14.8%
73Covington, GA Estimated61-36.5%
74Peachtree Corners, GA Estimated57-45.7%
75Kennesaw, GA Estimated56-84.1%
76Dunwoody, GA Estimated53+6%
77Rincon, GA Estimated43-71.3%
78Decatur, GA Estimated40+42.9%
79Chamblee, GA Estimated26-87%
80Dublin, GA Estimated21+50%
81Clarkston, GA Estimated19+850%
81Vidalia, GA Estimated19+137.5%
83Jesup, GA Estimated15+36.4%
84Acworth, GA Estimated14-41.7%
85Moultrie, GA Estimated13-56.7%
86Garden City, GA Estimated10-96%
86Milledgeville, GA Estimated10+400%
88Bainbridge, GA Estimated9-74.3%
89Cairo, GA Estimated4-20%
90Cedartown, GA Estimated3n/a
91Americus, GA Estimated20%
91Waycross, GA Estimated2n/a
93Forest Park, GA Estimated10%
94Douglas, GA Estimated0-100%
94Riverdale, 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. 4 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2020 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/so2020a.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. (2021). 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, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2020a.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, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 3 May 2021, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2020a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-cities?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2021. 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, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2020a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-cities?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2021) 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, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2020a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-cities?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_georgia_by_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2020a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-cities?period=2020. 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/so2020a.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, 2020
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/05/03
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2020a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-cities?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-cities?period=2020.
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/so2020a.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 1,674 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Riverdale, GA, with 0 in 2020.

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 2020 and are not ranked.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Georgia: more rankings