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 2021, at 2,413. Forest Park, GA had the lowest, at 2. The median was 179 and the figure for Georgia was 67,223. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest2,413Atlanta, GA
Lowest2Forest Park, GA
Median17995 cities
Georgia67,223History

Top 40 cities, 2021

Atlanta, GA: 2,413 countAtlanta, GA2,413Douglasville, GA: 1,275 countDouglasville, GA1,275Gainesville, GA: 863 countGainesville, GA863South Fulton, GA: 802 countSouth Fulton, GA802Pooler, GA: 710 countPooler, GA710Columbus, GA: 675 countColumbus, GA675Dunwoody, GA: 631 countDunwoody, GA631Valdosta, GA: 603 countValdosta, GA603Perry, GA: 593 countPerry, GA593Stonecrest, GA: 588 countStonecrest, GA588Newnan, GA: 580 countNewnan, GA580Brookhaven, GA: 559 countBrookhaven, GA559Holly Springs, GA: 521 countHolly Springs, GA521Canton, GA: 495 countCanton, GA495Savannah, GA: 492 countSavannah, GA492Jefferson, GA: 490 countJefferson, GA490Woodstock, GA: 485 countWoodstock, GA485Marietta, GA: 484 countMarietta, GA484Kingsland, GA: 477 countKingsland, GA477Snellville, GA: 454 countSnellville, GA454Warner Robins, GA: 453 countWarner Robins, GA453Alpharetta, GA: 449 countAlpharetta, GA449Locust Grove, GA: 403 countLocust Grove, GA403Peachtree City, GA: 369 countPeachtree City, GA369Calhoun, GA: 352 countCalhoun, GA352Flowery Branch, GA: 338 countFlowery Branch, GA338Cartersville, GA: 335 countCartersville, GA335Auburn, GA: 311 countAuburn, GA311Sandy Springs, GA: 305 countSandy Springs, GA305Grovetown, GA: 299 countGrovetown, GA299Lovejoy, GA: 295 countLovejoy, GA295Villa Rica, GA: 275 countVilla Rica, GA275Union City, GA: 247 countUnion City, GA247McDonough, GA: 239 countMcDonough, GA239Suwanee, GA: 238 countSuwanee, GA238Richmond Hill, GA: 236 countRichmond Hill, GA236Smyrna, GA: 235 countSmyrna, GA235St. Marys, GA: 233 countSt. Marys, GA233Winder, GA: 225 countWinder, GA225Port Wentworth, GA: 217 countPort Wentworth, GA217Atlanta, GA: 2,413 countAtlanta, GA2,413Douglasville, GA: 1,275 countDouglasville, GA1,275Gainesville, GA: 863 countGainesville, GA863South Fulton, GA: 802 countSouth Fulton, GA802Pooler, GA: 710 countPooler, GA710Columbus, GA: 675 countColumbus, GA675Dunwoody, GA: 631 countDunwoody, GA631Valdosta, GA: 603 countValdosta, GA603Perry, GA: 593 countPerry, GA593Stonecrest, GA: 588 countStonecrest, GA588Newnan, GA: 580 countNewnan, GA580Brookhaven, GA: 559 countBrookhaven, GA559Holly Springs, GA: 521 countHolly Springs, GA521Canton, GA: 495 countCanton, GA495Savannah, GA: 492 countSavannah, GA492Jefferson, GA: 490 countJefferson, GA490Woodstock, GA: 485 countWoodstock, GA485Marietta, GA: 484 countMarietta, GA484Kingsland, GA: 477 countKingsland, GA477Snellville, GA: 454 countSnellville, GA454Warner Robins, GA: 453 countWarner Robins, GA453Alpharetta, GA: 449 countAlpharetta, GA449Locust Grove, GA: 403 countLocust Grove, GA403Peachtree City, GA: 369 countPeachtree City, GA369Calhoun, GA: 352 countCalhoun, GA352Flowery Branch, GA: 338 countFlowery Branch, GA338Cartersville, GA: 335 countCartersville, GA335Auburn, GA: 311 countAuburn, GA311Sandy Springs, GA: 305 countSandy Springs, GA305Grovetown, GA: 299 countGrovetown, GA299Lovejoy, GA: 295 countLovejoy, GA295Villa Rica, GA: 275 countVilla Rica, GA275Union City, GA: 247 countUnion City, GA247McDonough, GA: 239 countMcDonough, GA239Suwanee, GA: 238 countSuwanee, GA238Richmond Hill, GA: 236 countRichmond Hill, GA236Smyrna, GA: 235 countSmyrna, GA235St. Marys, GA: 233 countSt. Marys, GA233Winder, GA: 225 countWinder, GA225Port Wentworth, GA: 217 countPort Wentworth, GA217
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021
count		Change on 2020
1Atlanta, GA Estimated2,413+44.1%
2Douglasville, GA Estimated1,275+222.8%
3Gainesville, GA Estimated863+93.9%
4South Fulton, GA Estimated802-10.6%
5Pooler, GA Estimated710+5%
6Columbus, GA Estimated675-49.7%
7Dunwoody, GA Estimated631+1,090.6%
8Valdosta, GA Estimated603+21.6%
9Perry, GA Estimated593+21%
10Stonecrest, GA Estimated588-12.4%
11Newnan, GA Estimated580+205.3%
12Brookhaven, GA Estimated559+6.7%
13Holly Springs, GA Estimated521+38.2%
14Canton, GA Estimated495+9.8%
15Savannah, GA Estimated492+41%
16Jefferson, GA Estimated490+140.2%
17Woodstock, GA Estimated485+7.3%
18Marietta, GA Estimated484+4.1%
19Kingsland, GA Estimated477+78.7%
20Snellville, GA Estimated454+229%
21Warner Robins, GA Estimated453-7.9%
22Alpharetta, GA Estimated449+22.3%
23Locust Grove, GA Estimated403+71.5%
24Peachtree City, GA Estimated369+58.4%
25Calhoun, GA Estimated352+181.6%
26Flowery Branch, GA Estimated338+15%
27Cartersville, GA Estimated335+252.6%
28Auburn, GA Estimated311+58.7%
29Sandy Springs, GA Estimated305+100.7%
30Grovetown, GA Estimated299+20.6%
31Lovejoy, GA Estimated295-3%
32Villa Rica, GA Estimated275+1.1%
33Union City, GA Estimated247-10.5%
34McDonough, GA Estimated239-45.8%
35Suwanee, GA Estimated238-43.6%
36Richmond Hill, GA Estimated236-2.9%
37Smyrna, GA Estimated235+6.8%
38St. Marys, GA Estimated233+140.2%
39Winder, GA Estimated225+1.4%
40Port Wentworth, GA Estimated217-46.3%
41Lilburn, GA Estimated209-16.4%
42Milton, GA Estimated206+73.1%
43Buford, GA Estimated202-13.7%
44Roswell, GA Estimated199-24.9%
45Braselton, GA Estimated196-31.9%
46Loganville, GA Estimated188+11.9%
47Statesboro, GA Estimated184+35.3%
48Hinesville, GA Estimated179+29.7%
49Macon, GA Estimated177+12.7%
50Fayetteville, GA Estimated165+1.9%
51Dallas, GA Estimated160-14.4%
52Kennesaw, GA Estimated157+180.4%
53Carrollton, GA Estimated152+74.7%
54Fairburn, GA Estimated146+57%
55LaGrange, GA Estimated138-71.7%
56East Point, GA Estimated126+12.5%
57Johns Creek, GA Estimated122-14.7%
58Powder Springs, GA Estimated118+6.3%
58Stockbridge, GA Estimated118-12.6%
60Duluth, GA Estimated117+48.1%
61Bainbridge, GA Estimated116+1,188.9%
61Conyers, GA Estimated116+13.7%
63Tifton, GA Estimated105+23.5%
64Lawrenceville, GA Estimated83-27.2%
65Fort Oglethorpe, GA Estimated76+15.2%
65Monroe, GA Estimated76-26.2%
65Peachtree Corners, GA Estimated76+33.3%
68Chamblee, GA Estimated75+188.5%
68Decatur, GA Estimated75+87.5%
68Griffin, GA Estimated75-58.8%
71Sugar Hill, GA Estimated73-21.5%
72Rincon, GA Estimated66+53.5%
73Covington, GA Estimated62+1.6%
73Milledgeville, GA Estimated62+520%
75Tucker, GA Estimated54-71.4%
76Moultrie, GA Estimated51+292.3%
77Norcross, GA Estimated48-38.5%
78Thomasville, GA Estimated47-24.2%
79Cumming, GA Estimated35-64.3%
80College Park, GA Estimated33-54.8%
81Acworth, GA Estimated31+121.4%
82Albany, GA Estimated25-84.8%
82Jesup, GA Estimated25+66.7%
84Vidalia, GA Estimated24+26.3%
85Clarkston, GA Estimated16-15.8%
86Dublin, GA Estimated15-28.6%
87Doraville, GA Estimated13-92.1%
88Douglas, GA Estimated9n/a
88Garden City, GA Estimated9-10%
90Cairo, GA Estimated6+50%
91Cedartown, GA Estimated4+33.3%
91Waycross, GA Estimated4+100%
93Riverdale, GA Estimated3n/a
94Americus, GA Estimated20%
94Forest Park, GA Estimated2+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. 4 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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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/georgia-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 Georgia 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/georgia-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 Georgia 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/georgia-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_georgia_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 Georgia 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/georgia-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 Georgia 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/georgia-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/georgia-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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Questions

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

Atlanta, GA, with 2,413 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Forest Park, GA, with 2 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. 4 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Georgia: more rankings