US cities by housing units authorized by building permits

New York, NY had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 3006 cities in 2017, at 22,101. Ypsilanti, MI had the lowest, at 0. The median was 60 and the figure for the United States was 1.28 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest22,101New York, NY

Lowest0Ypsilanti, MI

Median603006 cities

United States1,281,977History

Top 40 cities, 2017

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2017 count	Change on 2016
1	New York, NY Estimated	22,101	+35.8%
2	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	14,846	+6.9%
3	Austin, TX Estimated	11,579	+30.1%
4	Denver, CO Estimated	10,525	+34.2%
5	Seattle, WA Estimated	9,887	-1.1%
6	Houston, TX Estimated	9,672	+1.8%
7	Chicago, IL Estimated	8,939	-1.8%
8	Fort Worth, TX Estimated	8,856	+19.5%
9	Dallas, TX Estimated	7,251	-29.9%
10	Phoenix, AZ Estimated	6,832	-2%
11	Portland, OR Estimated	6,789	+37.7%
12	San Antonio, TX Estimated	6,200	-2.6%
13	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	5,879	+6.6%
14	San Diego, CA Estimated	5,692	-13.9%
15	Atlanta, GA Estimated	5,101	-36.5%
16	Boston, MA Estimated	5,085	+51.9%
17	Miami, FL Estimated	4,761	+21.8%
18	Frisco, TX Estimated	4,277	-15.7%
19	Columbus, OH Estimated	4,229	+13.7%
20	San Francisco, CA Estimated	4,034	-1.3%
21	McKinney, TX Estimated	4,001	+14.5%
22	Oakland, CA Estimated	3,895	+82.4%
23	Henderson, NV Estimated	3,678	+2.3%
24	Philadelphia, PA Estimated	3,389	+6.7%
25	Irvine, CA Estimated	3,240	-30.1%
26	Omaha, NE Estimated	3,230	+26%
27	Raleigh, NC Estimated	3,216	-6.7%
28	Tampa, FL Estimated	3,175	-25.5%
29	Mesa, AZ Estimated	3,014	+7.2%
30	Durham, NC Estimated	2,962	-0.6%
31	El Paso, TX Estimated	2,917	+2.6%
32	Sacramento, CA Estimated	2,843	+69%
33	Oklahoma City, OK Estimated	2,755	-13.6%
34	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	2,550	+60.7%
35	San Jose, CA Estimated	2,441	-10.5%
36	Meridian, ID Estimated	2,414	+53.9%
37	Sioux Falls, SD Estimated	2,394	-4.6%
38	Peoria, AZ Estimated	2,391	+46.1%
39	Kansas City, MO Estimated	2,366	-29.2%
40	Garland, TX Estimated	2,352	+124.4%
41	Reno, NV Estimated	2,334	-1.7%
42	Murfreesboro, TN Estimated	2,327	+42%
43	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	2,254	-22.5%
44	New Braunfels, TX Estimated	2,252	-0.2%
45	Chandler, AZ Estimated	2,230	+0.7%
45	Lubbock, TX Estimated	2,230	-7.3%
47	Lincoln, NE Estimated	2,225	+2.7%
48	Buckeye, AZ Estimated	2,195	+44.3%
49	Madison, WI Estimated	2,188	-8.1%
50	Richardson, TX Estimated	2,080	+38.1%
51	Tucson, AZ Estimated	2,047	+169.7%
52	Winston-Salem, NC Estimated	1,960	+118.8%
53	Fremont, CA Estimated	1,946	+212.9%
54	Aurora, CO Estimated	1,929	-28.8%
55	College Station, TX Estimated	1,913	+0.7%
56	Las Vegas, NV Estimated	1,881	-17.5%
57	Leander, TX Estimated	1,878	+4%
58	Sparks, NV Estimated	1,844	+103.3%
59	Gilbert, AZ Estimated	1,709	-32.7%
60	Round Rock, TX Estimated	1,703	+126.8%
61	Roseville, CA Estimated	1,677	+82.3%
62	Mount Pleasant, SC Estimated	1,675	+8.1%
63	Irving, TX Estimated	1,672	+161.3%
64	Ontario, CA Estimated	1,658	+153.5%
65	Orlando, FL Estimated	1,646	-0.8%
66	Herriman, UT Estimated	1,641	+33.6%
67	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,637	+13.8%
68	Greensboro, NC Estimated	1,609	+6.6%
69	Jersey City, NJ Estimated	1,604	+7.4%
70	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	1,601	+27.2%
71	Franklin, TN Estimated	1,595	-3.8%
71	St. George, UT Estimated	1,595	+76.8%
73	Gallatin, TN Estimated	1,578	+125.8%
74	Vancouver, WA Estimated	1,546	+115.9%
75	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	1,535	+76.6%
76	North Charleston, SC Estimated	1,534	+100%
77	Santa Clara, CA Estimated	1,528	+264.7%
78	Huntsville, AL Estimated	1,524	-13.6%
79	Virginia Beach, VA Estimated	1,523	-3.8%
80	Fresno, CA Estimated	1,467	+13.9%
81	Sandy Springs, GA Estimated	1,446	+72.8%
82	Denton, TX Estimated	1,440	+65.3%
83	Goodyear, AZ Estimated	1,434	+27.1%
84	Georgetown, TX Estimated	1,421	+6.4%
85	Vineyard, UT Estimated	1,403	+95.7%
86	Farmers Branch, TX Estimated	1,393	+65.2%
87	Mountain View, CA Estimated	1,390	+179.1%
88	Apex, NC Estimated	1,388	+18.5%
89	Fort Collins, CO Estimated	1,377	-26.5%
90	Redmond, WA Estimated	1,350	+47.2%
91	Lexington, KY Estimated	1,348	-1.2%
92	Harrison, NJ Estimated	1,339	+81.2%
93	Lebanon, TN Estimated	1,338	+237.9%
94	Laredo, TX Estimated	1,331	+14.9%
95	Gainesville, FL Estimated	1,318	+308%
95	Rowlett, TX Estimated	1,318	+390%
97	Richmond, VA Estimated	1,317	+158.2%
98	Bellevue, WA Estimated	1,308	-17.6%
99	Cary, NC Estimated	1,307	-20.1%
100	Wichita, KS Estimated	1,306	-3%
101	Des Moines, IA Estimated	1,297	-10.2%
102	Little Elm, TX Estimated	1,287	+19.1%
103	Fort Lauderdale, FL Estimated	1,274	+778.6%
104	Albuquerque, NM Estimated	1,272	-1.5%
105	Columbia, MO Estimated	1,264	+29.9%
106	Castle Rock, CO Estimated	1,239	-1%
107	Edinburg, TX Estimated	1,235	+0.4%
108	Fargo, ND Estimated	1,225	-8.1%
109	North Las Vegas, NV Estimated	1,222	+30.3%
110	Kyle, TX Estimated	1,221	+16.7%
111	Long Beach, CA Estimated	1,220	+916.7%
112	Bend, OR Estimated	1,212	-17.6%
113	Ankeny, IA Estimated	1,207	-23.1%
114	Chattanooga, TN Estimated	1,202	+2.5%
115	Dublin, CA Estimated	1,197	+95.9%
116	Plano, TX Estimated	1,174	+44.8%
117	Boise City, ID Estimated	1,160	-17.1%
118	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	1,151	-17%
119	Killeen, TX Estimated	1,135	+40.1%
120	Tacoma, WA Estimated	1,127	+82.7%
121	Little Rock, AR Estimated	1,100	+32.4%
122	North Port, FL Estimated	1,088	+21.2%
123	Chesapeake, VA Estimated	1,077	+1.1%
124	Queen Creek, AZ Estimated	1,076	-1.8%
125	Bryan, TX Estimated	1,074	+23.6%
126	Charleston, SC Estimated	1,069	+2.6%
127	South Jordan, UT Estimated	1,055	+21.4%
128	Rochester, MN Estimated	1,054	-24.5%
129	Arvada, CO Estimated	1,052	+22.9%
129	Eagle Mountain, UT Estimated	1,052	+20%
129	Lake Charles, LA Estimated	1,052	+6.6%
132	Leland, NC Estimated	1,045	+117.7%
133	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	1,043	-11.2%
134	American Fork, UT Estimated	1,037	+275.7%
135	Bluffton, SC Estimated	1,036	+16.3%
136	Allen, TX Estimated	1,034	+49.9%
136	Thornton, CO Estimated	1,034	-8%
138	Chino Hills, CA Estimated	1,033	+129.6%
138	Clarksville, TN Estimated	1,033	-1.1%
140	Detroit, MI Estimated	1,029	+151.6%
141	Anchorage, AK Estimated	1,019	+9.6%
142	Euless, TX Estimated	1,012	+447%
143	Longmont, CO Estimated	1,004	-10.1%
144	Clovis, CA Estimated	992	-8.7%
144	Forney, TX Estimated	992	+255.6%
146	Rocklin, CA Estimated	989	+26.6%
147	Salem, OR Estimated	974	+23%
148	Arlington, TX Estimated	970	-2.7%
149	Auburn, AL Estimated	963	+82.7%
150	Milpitas, CA Estimated	959	+503.1%
151	Waukee, IA Estimated	958	+6.7%
152	Olathe, KS Estimated	954	+20.8%
153	Surprise, AZ Estimated	951	+52.6%
154	Pearland, TX Estimated	943	-21.5%
155	Prescott Valley, AZ Estimated	937	+35%
156	Conroe, TX Estimated	935	-12.5%
157	Lehi, UT Estimated	934	+51.6%
157	St. Petersburg, FL Estimated	934	-28%
159	Eagle, ID Estimated	921	+86.8%
159	Fort Mill, SC Estimated	921	+0.3%
161	Tuscaloosa, AL Estimated	917	-25.5%
162	Anaheim, CA Estimated	909	-3.2%
163	Bentonville, AR Estimated	903	-0.6%
164	Celina, TX Estimated	891	+46.5%
165	Carrollton, TX Estimated	889	-12.8%
166	Decatur, GA Estimated	888	+109.9%
167	Grand Rapids, MI Estimated	878	-37.2%
168	Westfield, IN Estimated	863	+2.1%
169	Lakeville, MN Estimated	845	+50.1%
170	Maricopa, AZ Estimated	844	+61.1%
171	Greenville, NC Estimated	839	+39.6%
171	Lakewood, CO Estimated	839	+9%
173	Camarillo, CA Estimated	838	+255.1%
174	Lenexa, KS Estimated	836	+163.7%
175	Garner, NC Estimated	832	+914.6%
175	Spokane, WA Estimated	832	-0.5%
177	Issaquah, WA Estimated	831	+429.3%
178	Overland Park, KS Estimated	827	-32.6%
179	North Miami, FL Estimated	826	+3,491.3%
180	Bozeman, MT Estimated	822	+11.4%
181	Manteca, CA Estimated	820	+38.3%
182	Wake Forest, NC Estimated	817	+0.6%
183	Spring Hill, TN Estimated	813	+14.8%
184	West Jordan, UT Estimated	799	+79.6%
185	Las Cruces, NM Estimated	793	+84%
186	Marana, AZ Estimated	788	+32.2%
187	Commerce City, CO Estimated	785	+50.4%
187	St. Louis, MO Estimated	785	-26.6%
189	Apple Valley, MN Estimated	784	+387%
190	League City, TX Estimated	776	-21.4%
191	Lee's Summit, MO Estimated	775	+47.1%
192	Prosper, TX Estimated	774	+8.7%
193	Parker, CO Estimated	772	+12%
194	Myrtle Beach, SC Estimated	767	+83.5%
195	Missoula, MT Estimated	765	-0.9%
196	Lake Forest, CA Estimated	763	+48.7%
197	Midland, TX Estimated	761	+13.2%
198	Newark, NJ Estimated	760	+145.2%
199	Carmel, IN Estimated	757	+75.6%
200	Fulshear, TX Estimated	756	-10.5%
201	Ames, IA Estimated	750	+31.8%
202	Beaumont, CA Estimated	743	+52.3%
203	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	739	-16.6%
204	Spokane Valley, WA Estimated	737	-8.7%
205	Mansfield, TX Estimated	730	-12.9%
205	San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA Estimated	730	+194.4%
207	Hackensack, NJ Estimated	726	+1,810.5%
208	Fishers, IN Estimated	725	+21%
209	Bonita Springs, FL Estimated	719	-8.5%
209	Pompano Beach, FL Estimated	719	+229.8%
211	Carlsbad, CA Estimated	718	+5.1%
212	Menifee, CA Estimated	717	+26.9%
213	Cincinnati, OH Estimated	716	-2.3%
214	Milwaukee, WI Estimated	715	-32%
215	Nampa, ID Estimated	714	-23.4%
216	Corpus Christi, TX Estimated	708	-37.8%
216	Knightdale, NC Estimated	708	+50.6%
216	Tempe, AZ Estimated	708	-55.3%
219	Riverside, CA Estimated	707	+49.5%
220	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	705	+62.8%
221	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	697	+27.2%
222	Wentzville, MO Estimated	687	-11.4%
223	Bowling Green, KY Estimated	686	-16.7%
224	Knoxville, TN Estimated	684	-19.4%
225	Grand Prairie, TX Estimated	683	-15.4%
226	Hoboken, NJ Estimated	679	+517.3%
227	Noblesville, IN Estimated	677	+4.8%
228	Midlothian, TX Estimated	676	+42.6%
229	Rogers, AR Estimated	671	+25%
230	Fontana, CA Estimated	663	+35.9%
231	New Orleans, LA Estimated	660	+8.6%
232	Waxahachie, TX Estimated	658	+55.2%
233	Pflugerville, TX Estimated	657	-55.2%
234	Oxford, MS Estimated	652	+63.4%
235	Fate, TX Estimated	651	+84.4%
235	Jonesboro, AR Estimated	651	-24.1%
237	Woodbury, MN Estimated	648	+64.9%
238	Erie, CO Estimated	645	+48.6%
239	Tulsa, OK Estimated	644	-24.2%
240	Glendale, AZ Estimated	643	+251.4%
241	McAllen, TX Estimated	638	+2.4%
242	Chico, CA Estimated	636	+19.1%
243	Temple, TX Estimated	635	+9.7%
244	Greenwood, IN Estimated	634	+95.1%
245	Holly Springs, NC Estimated	633	-8.3%
245	Kissimmee, FL Estimated	633	+67.5%
245	Manor, TX Estimated	633	+71.1%
245	Norfolk, VA Estimated	633	-39.4%
245	Rockwall, TX Estimated	633	+94.2%
250	Scottsdale, AZ Estimated	632	-59.2%

Showing the top 250 of 3006. The Excel download has every row.

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. 81 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2017 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/Northeast%20Region/ne2017a.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. (2018). Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation (US cities by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2017a.txt

MLA 9

Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, US cities by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2018, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2017a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. US cities by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2017a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, US cities by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2017a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_us_cities_by_housing_2017,
  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: US cities by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2017a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2017. 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/Northeast\%20Region/ne2017a.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: US cities by housing units authorized by building permits, 2017
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2017a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2017.
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/Northeast%20Region/ne2017a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank US cities by housing units authorized by building permits using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

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

New York, NY, with 22,101 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Ypsilanti, MI, with 0 in 2017.

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. 81 cities have no value for 2017 and are not ranked.