Data / Rankings / Housing units authorized by building permits / Counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts by housing units authorized by building permits

Middlesex County had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 14 counties in 2023, at 3,894. Franklin County had the lowest, at 66. The median was 654. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest3,894Middlesex County
Lowest66Franklin County
Median65414 counties

All counties, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County: 3,894 count3,894Suffolk CountySuffolk County: 2,590 count2,590Worcester CountyWorcester County: 1,215 count1,215Essex CountyEssex County: 1,140 count1,140Plymouth CountyPlymouth County: 1,014 count1,014Norfolk CountyNorfolk County: 887 count887Bristol CountyBristol County: 761 count761Barnstable CountyBarnstable County: 547 count547Hampden CountyHampden County: 360 count360Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 282 count282Nantucket CountyNantucket County: 232 count232Berkshire CountyBerkshire County: 145 count145Dukes CountyDukes County: 81 count81Franklin CountyFranklin County: 66 count66
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-10.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
count
1Middlesex County Estimated3,894
2Suffolk County Estimated2,590
3Worcester County Estimated1,215
4Essex County Estimated1,140
5Plymouth County Estimated1,014
6Norfolk County Estimated887
7Bristol County Estimated761
8Barnstable County Estimated547
9Hampden County Estimated360
10Hampshire County Estimated282
11Nantucket County Estimated232
12Berkshire County Estimated145
13Dukes County Estimated81
14Franklin County Estimated66

Other periods

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 Massachusetts by housing units authorized by building permits using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"building_permit_units","level":"province","within":"Massachusetts","limit":10}
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Questions

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

Middlesex County, with 3,894 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Franklin County, with 66 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.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Counties in Massachusetts: more rankings