Counties in Iowa by housing units authorized by building permits

Name: Counties in Iowa by housing units authorized by building permits, 2023
Creator: U.S. Census Bureau
License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)

Polk County had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 99 counties in 2023, at 3,095. Lucas County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 20. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest3,095Polk County

Lowest0Lucas County

Median2099 counties

Top 40 counties, 2023

CSV Chart (SVG)

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

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2023 count
1	Polk County Estimated	3,095
2	Dallas County Estimated	1,421
3	Johnson County Estimated	1,236
4	Linn County Estimated	694
5	Scott County Estimated	488
6	Black Hawk County Estimated	420
7	Warren County Estimated	363
8	Dickinson County Estimated	354
9	Dubuque County Estimated	195
10	Pottawattamie County Estimated	179
11	Story County Estimated	165
12	Woodbury County Estimated	163
13	Sioux County Estimated	134
14	Clarke County Estimated	129
15	Marion County Estimated	119
16	Cedar County Estimated	107
17	Boone County Estimated	97
18	Marshall County Estimated	94
19	Clinton County Estimated	85
20	Madison County Estimated	82
21	Poweshiek County Estimated	77
22	O'Brien County Estimated	66
23	Buchanan County Estimated	58
24	Webster County Estimated	54
25	Des Moines County Estimated	51
26	Allamakee County Estimated	49
27	Winneshiek County Estimated	48
28	Carroll County Estimated	47
29	Wapello County Estimated	46
30	Cerro Gordo County Estimated	44
30	Mitchell County Estimated	44
32	Plymouth County Estimated	43
33	Henry County Estimated	41
34	Bremer County Estimated	40
35	Benton County Estimated	39
36	Hamilton County Estimated	36
37	Jones County Estimated	35
38	Delaware County Estimated	30
38	Washington County Estimated	30
40	Mills County Estimated	29
40	Wright County Estimated	29
42	Clayton County Estimated	28
43	Butler County Estimated	26
44	Harrison County Estimated	25
44	Lyon County Estimated	25
46	Calhoun County Estimated	24
46	Muscatine County Estimated	24
48	Grundy County Estimated	21
48	Page County Estimated	21
50	Buena Vista County Estimated	20
50	Guthrie County Estimated	20
50	Jackson County Estimated	20
53	Floyd County Estimated	19
53	Jasper County Estimated	19
55	Lee County Estimated	18
56	Palo Alto County Estimated	17
57	Cass County Estimated	16
57	Crawford County Estimated	16
57	Hancock County Estimated	16
57	Humboldt County Estimated	16
57	Louisa County Estimated	16
62	Greene County Estimated	15
63	Clay County Estimated	14
63	Kossuth County Estimated	14
63	Monona County Estimated	14
63	Monroe County Estimated	14
67	Fremont County Estimated	13
68	Fayette County Estimated	12
68	Iowa County Estimated	12
68	Tama County Estimated	12
71	Mahaska County Estimated	10
72	Adair County Estimated	9
72	Emmet County Estimated	9
72	Jefferson County Estimated	9
72	Montgomery County Estimated	9
76	Cherokee County Estimated	8
76	Wayne County Estimated	8
78	Appanoose County Estimated	7
78	Osceola County Estimated	7
78	Sac County Estimated	7
78	Taylor County Estimated	7
82	Audubon County Estimated	6
82	Howard County Estimated	6
82	Shelby County Estimated	6
85	Adams County Estimated	5
85	Hardin County Estimated	5
85	Union County Estimated	5
88	Ringgold County Estimated	4
89	Chickasaw County Estimated	3
89	Franklin County Estimated	3
89	Winnebago County Estimated	3
92	Davis County Estimated	2
92	Ida County Estimated	2
92	Pocahontas County Estimated	2
92	Van Buren County Estimated	2
96	Decatur County Estimated	1
96	Keokuk County Estimated	1
96	Worth County Estimated	1
99	Lucas County Estimated	0

Other periods

2025
2024
2023

About this ranking

Annual number of new privately owned housing units authorized by building permits, from the US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

Final annual county estimates include imputation for missing reports. Counts housing units, not buildings, starts, completions or sales. Covers permit-issuing areas; areas where permits are not required are outside the survey. Not seasonally adjusted or expressed as an annualized monthly rate. The total is the sum of units in the four published structure categories; inputs are retained.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/County/co2023a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-10.

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Rank Counties in Iowa by housing units authorized by building permits using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

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

Polk County, with 3,095 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Lucas County, with 0 in 2023.

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 county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. Retrieved 2026-10-10.