Cities in Minnesota by housing units authorized by building permits

Minneapolis, MN had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 103 cities in 2015, at 1,489. Fairmont, MN had the lowest, at 0. The median was 50 and the figure for Minnesota was 19,545. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest1,489Minneapolis, MN

Lowest0Fairmont, MN

Median50103 cities

Minnesota19,545History

Top 40 cities, 2015

count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2015 count	Change on 2014
1	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	1,489	-24%
2	Rochester, MN Estimated	1,466	+201.6%
3	St. Paul, MN Estimated	923	+86.8%
4	Mankato, MN Estimated	540	+143.2%
5	Moorhead, MN Estimated	507	+26.4%
6	Edina, MN Estimated	492	+113%
7	Plymouth, MN Estimated	455	+45.8%
8	Lakeville, MN Estimated	420	+21%
9	Woodbury, MN Estimated	417	+21.9%
10	Apple Valley, MN Estimated	400	+8.7%
11	Duluth, MN Estimated	397	+120.6%
11	Maple Grove, MN Estimated	397	-20.9%
13	St. Louis Park, MN Estimated	389	+18.6%
14	Blaine, MN Estimated	301	-12.2%
15	Chaska, MN Estimated	274	+66.1%
16	St. Cloud, MN Estimated	267	+23%
17	Minnetonka, MN Estimated	262	+394.3%
18	Otsego, MN Estimated	207	+10.1%
19	Alexandria, MN Estimated	188	+97.9%
20	Sartell, MN Estimated	183	+154.2%
21	Rosemount, MN Estimated	173	-2.8%
22	White Bear Lake, MN Estimated	172	+1,620%
23	Shakopee, MN Estimated	147	-8.1%
24	Brooklyn Park, MN Estimated	134	+17.5%
25	Prior Lake, MN Estimated	124	-0.8%
26	Ramsey, MN Estimated	123	+86.4%
27	Albert Lea, MN Estimated	119	+1,222.2%
27	Sauk Rapids, MN Estimated	119	+164.4%
29	Chanhassen, MN Estimated	104	-32%
30	Champlin, MN Estimated	96	+860%
30	Grand Rapids, MN Estimated	96	+81.1%
32	Waconia, MN Estimated	95	+13.1%
33	Bemidji, MN Estimated	94	-24.2%
34	Savage, MN Estimated	85	-80.6%
34	Victoria, MN Estimated	85	-22.7%
36	Cambridge, MN Estimated	82	-12.8%
37	Forest Lake, MN Estimated	81	+2.5%
38	Dayton, MN Estimated	75	+74.4%
39	Andover, MN Estimated	74	+42.3%
40	Eden Prairie, MN Estimated	73	+19.7%
40	Elk River, MN Estimated	73	-18.9%
42	North Mankato, MN Estimated	72	+53.2%
43	Hugo, MN Estimated	69	+40.8%
44	Cottage Grove, MN Estimated	65	-15.6%
45	Big Lake, MN Estimated	61	+577.8%
45	Fergus Falls, MN Estimated	61	n/a
47	Winona, MN Estimated	58	+480%
48	Ham Lake, MN Estimated	56	+1.8%
49	Farmington, MN Estimated	55	-33.7%
49	New Brighton, MN Estimated	55	+685.7%
51	Owatonna, MN Estimated	50	+138.1%
51	Rogers, MN Estimated	50	-2%
53	Burnsville, MN Estimated	49	+44.1%
53	Eagan, MN Estimated	49	-71.7%
55	Lino Lakes, MN Estimated	47	+42.4%
56	Monticello, MN Estimated	41	-36.9%
57	Detroit Lakes, MN Estimated	40	+14.3%
57	Lake Elmo, MN Estimated	40	+11.1%
59	Buffalo, MN Estimated	38	-19.1%
60	Hermantown, MN Estimated	36	-14.3%
61	St. Michael, MN Estimated	35	+2.9%
62	Inver Grove Heights, MN Estimated	33	-72%
63	North Branch, MN Estimated	32	-5.9%
64	Northfield, MN Estimated	31	+19.2%
65	Coon Rapids, MN Estimated	29	+141.7%
65	St. Peter, MN Estimated	29	+38.1%
67	Faribault, MN Estimated	27	+17.4%
68	Anoka, MN Estimated	26	+8.3%
69	Golden Valley, MN Estimated	22	-87.6%
70	East Bethel, MN Estimated	21	+40%
70	Hutchinson, MN Estimated	21	-8.7%
70	Mendota Heights, MN Estimated	21	+23.5%
73	Hastings, MN Estimated	20	-52.4%
73	Willmar, MN Estimated	20	+17.6%
75	New Ulm, MN Estimated	19	-74%
75	Shoreview, MN Estimated	19	-32.1%
77	Red Wing, MN Estimated	18	0%
78	Bloomington, MN Estimated	16	+45.5%
78	Vadnais Heights, MN Estimated	16	+220%
80	Roseville, MN Estimated	15	+25%
81	Mounds View, MN Estimated	14	-79.4%
82	Crystal, MN Estimated	13	-90.6%
82	Stillwater, MN Estimated	13	-71.1%
84	Little Canada, MN Estimated	12	+100%
85	Austin, MN Estimated	11	0%
85	Brainerd, MN Estimated	11	+37.5%
85	Maplewood, MN Estimated	11	-56%
85	Oakdale, MN Estimated	11	+450%
89	Brooklyn Center, MN Estimated	10	+150%
89	New Hope, MN Estimated	10	-90%
91	Columbia Heights, MN Estimated	9	-18.2%
92	Cloquet, MN Estimated	8	0%
93	Hibbing, MN Estimated	7	-46.2%
93	Marshall, MN Estimated	7	-68.2%
93	Robbinsdale, MN Estimated	7	-83.7%
96	Richfield, MN Estimated	6	0%
96	West St. Paul, MN Estimated	6	+200%
96	Worthington, MN Estimated	6	-89.3%
99	Fridley, MN Estimated	4	-42.9%
100	North St. Paul, MN Estimated	3	+200%
100	South St. Paul, MN Estimated	3	-50%
102	Hopkins, MN Estimated	1	-66.7%
103	Fairmont, MN Estimated	0	-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. 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/Midwest%20Region/mw2015a.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. (2016). Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation (Cities in Minnesota by housing units authorized by building permits, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2015a.txt

MLA 9

Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Minnesota by housing units authorized by building permits, 2015. U.S. Census Bureau, 30 Sept. 2016, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2015a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/minnesota-cities?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2016. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. Cities in Minnesota by housing units authorized by building permits, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2015a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/minnesota-cities?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2016) Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Minnesota by housing units authorized by building permits, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2015a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/minnesota-cities?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_minnesota_by_2015,
  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 Minnesota by housing units authorized by building permits, 2015}},
  year = {2016},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2015a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/minnesota-cities?period=2015. 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/Midwest\%20Region/mw2015a.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 Minnesota by housing units authorized by building permits, 2015
PY  - 2016
DA  - 2016/09/30
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2015a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/minnesota-cities?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/minnesota-cities?period=2015.
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/Midwest%20Region/mw2015a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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

rank_places {"indicator":"building_permit_units","level":"municipality","within":"Minnesota","limit":10}
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Questions

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

Minneapolis, MN, with 1,489 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Fairmont, MN, with 0 in 2015.

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.