US cities by housing units authorized by building permits

New York, NY had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 3010 cities in 2018, at 20,910. Yorktown, IN had the lowest, at 0. The median was 61 and the figure for the United States was 1.33 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest20,910New York, NY

Lowest0Yorktown, IN

Median613010 cities

United States1,328,827History

Top 40 cities, 2018

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2018 count	Change on 2017
1	New York, NY Estimated	20,910	-5.4%
2	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	16,299	+9.8%
3	Austin, TX Estimated	13,283	+14.7%
4	Houston, TX Estimated	13,237	+36.9%
5	Fort Worth, TX Estimated	9,310	+5.1%
6	Dallas, TX Estimated	8,047	+11%
7	Seattle, WA Estimated	7,918	-19.9%
8	Denver, CO Estimated	7,878	-25.1%
9	Phoenix, AZ Estimated	7,262	+6.3%
10	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	7,003	+19.1%
11	Nashville, TN Estimated	6,828	n/a
12	Atlanta, GA Estimated	6,496	+27.3%
13	Chicago, IL Estimated	6,449	-27.9%
14	San Antonio, TX Estimated	5,929	-4.4%
15	Portland, OR Estimated	5,648	-16.8%
16	San Francisco, CA Estimated	5,178	+28.4%
17	Frisco, TX Estimated	4,818	+12.6%
18	Miami, FL Estimated	4,625	-2.9%
19	San Diego, CA Estimated	4,452	-21.8%
20	Columbus, OH Estimated	4,297	+1.6%
21	Raleigh, NC Estimated	4,211	+30.9%
22	Henderson, NV Estimated	3,883	+5.6%
23	Oakland, CA Estimated	3,639	-6.6%
24	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	3,625	+60.8%
25	Boston, MA Estimated	3,602	-29.2%
26	McKinney, TX Estimated	3,463	-13.4%
27	Irvine, CA Estimated	3,410	+5.2%
28	Farmers Branch, TX Estimated	3,355	+140.8%
29	Philadelphia, PA Estimated	3,239	-4.4%
30	Reno, NV Estimated	3,234	+38.6%
31	Durham, NC Estimated	3,230	+9%
32	Meridian, ID Estimated	3,141	+30.1%
33	Oklahoma City, OK Estimated	3,097	+12.4%
34	Orlando, FL Estimated	3,079	+87.1%
35	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	2,943	+83.8%
36	Mesa, AZ Estimated	2,919	-3.2%
37	Omaha, NE Estimated	2,887	-10.6%
38	San Jose, CA Estimated	2,836	+16.2%
39	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	2,777	+141.3%
40	Murfreesboro, TN Estimated	2,750	+18.2%
41	Kirkland, WA Estimated	2,644	+657.6%
42	Aurora, CO Estimated	2,615	+35.6%
43	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	2,601	+2%
44	Jersey City, NJ Estimated	2,493	+55.4%
45	Sacramento, CA Estimated	2,324	-18.3%
46	Apex, NC Estimated	2,241	+61.5%
47	El Paso, TX Estimated	2,209	-24.3%
48	Buckeye, AZ Estimated	2,194	-0%
49	Redmond, WA Estimated	2,193	+62.4%
50	Kansas City, MO Estimated	2,154	-9%
51	Doral, FL Estimated	2,112	+463.2%
52	Overland Park, KS Estimated	2,107	+154.8%
53	Georgetown, TX Estimated	2,053	+44.5%
53	Herriman, UT Estimated	2,053	+25.1%
55	Leander, TX Estimated	2,006	+6.8%
56	Sioux Falls, SD Estimated	1,981	-17.3%
57	Las Vegas, NV Estimated	1,973	+4.9%
58	Fremont, CA Estimated	1,967	+1.1%
59	New Braunfels, TX Estimated	1,931	-14.3%
60	North Las Vegas, NV Estimated	1,840	+50.6%
61	Bentonville, AR Estimated	1,805	+99.9%
62	Gilbert, AZ Estimated	1,789	+4.7%
62	Lexington, KY Estimated	1,789	+32.7%
64	Tampa, FL Estimated	1,788	-43.7%
65	Tempe, AZ Estimated	1,760	+148.6%
66	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	1,751	+67.9%
67	Santa Rosa, CA Estimated	1,701	+394.5%
68	Milpitas, CA Estimated	1,583	+65.1%
69	Arlington, TX Estimated	1,571	+62%
70	Cary, NC Estimated	1,562	+19.5%
71	Conroe, TX Estimated	1,561	+67%
72	Denton, TX Estimated	1,552	+7.8%
73	Baltimore, MD Estimated	1,547	+253.2%
74	Bonita Springs, FL Estimated	1,541	+114.3%
75	Tucson, AZ Estimated	1,540	-24.8%
76	Lincoln, NE Estimated	1,532	-31.1%
77	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	1,524	-0.7%
78	Castle Rock, CO Estimated	1,499	+21%
79	Bowling Green, KY Estimated	1,447	+110.9%
80	Edinburg, TX Estimated	1,443	+16.8%
80	Madison, WI Estimated	1,443	-34%
82	Peoria, AZ Estimated	1,428	-40.3%
83	Rochester, MN Estimated	1,415	+34.3%
83	Surprise, AZ Estimated	1,415	+48.8%
85	Laredo, TX Estimated	1,375	+3.3%
86	Round Rock, TX Estimated	1,370	-19.6%
87	Lehi, UT Estimated	1,341	+43.6%
88	Winston-Salem, NC Estimated	1,335	-31.9%
89	Goodyear, AZ Estimated	1,332	-7.1%
90	Chandler, AZ Estimated	1,331	-40.3%
91	Lubbock, TX Estimated	1,330	-40.4%
92	Ontario, CA Estimated	1,326	-20%
93	Huntsville, AL Estimated	1,312	-13.9%
94	St. George, UT Estimated	1,309	-17.9%
95	New Orleans, LA Estimated	1,303	+97.4%
96	Queen Creek, AZ Estimated	1,296	+20.4%
97	North Port, FL Estimated	1,274	+17.1%
98	North Charleston, SC Estimated	1,270	-17.2%
99	Celina, TX Estimated	1,248	+40.1%
99	Santa Clara, CA Estimated	1,248	-18.3%
101	Fresno, CA Estimated	1,239	-15.5%
102	Moreno Valley, CA Estimated	1,226	+170.6%
103	Midland, TX Estimated	1,222	+60.6%
104	Fargo, ND Estimated	1,210	-1.2%
105	Carrollton, TX Estimated	1,209	+36%
106	Richardson, TX Estimated	1,187	-42.9%
107	Scottsdale, AZ Estimated	1,179	+86.6%
108	Bluffton, SC Estimated	1,167	+12.6%
109	Charleston, SC Estimated	1,164	+8.9%
110	Little Elm, TX Estimated	1,162	-9.7%
111	Boise City, ID Estimated	1,140	-1.7%
112	West Lafayette, IN Estimated	1,124	+182.4%
113	Albuquerque, NM Estimated	1,115	-12.3%
114	Vancouver, WA Estimated	1,114	-27.9%
115	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,108	-32.3%
115	Marana, AZ Estimated	1,108	+40.6%
117	Champaign, IL Estimated	1,107	+118.8%
117	Clovis, CA Estimated	1,107	+11.6%
119	Holly Springs, GA Estimated	1,093	+200.3%
120	South Jordan, UT Estimated	1,092	+3.5%
121	Nampa, ID Estimated	1,089	+52.5%
122	Anchorage, AK Estimated	1,083	+6.3%
123	Fort Collins, CO Estimated	1,071	-22.2%
124	Longmont, CO Estimated	1,067	+6.3%
125	Greenville, SC Estimated	1,064	+399.5%
126	Mount Pleasant, SC Estimated	1,061	-36.7%
127	Allen, TX Estimated	1,054	+1.9%
128	Lewisville, TX Estimated	1,040	+102.3%
129	Tacoma, WA Estimated	1,033	-8.3%
130	Chesapeake, VA Estimated	1,031	-4.3%
130	College Station, TX Estimated	1,031	-46.1%
132	Bradenton, FL Estimated	1,024	+137%
133	Corpus Christi, TX Estimated	1,016	+43.5%
134	Gallatin, TN Estimated	1,003	-36.4%
134	St. Petersburg, FL Estimated	1,003	+7.4%
136	Fort Mill, SC Estimated	1,002	+8.8%
137	Thornton, CO Estimated	993	-4%
138	Maricopa, AZ Estimated	988	+17.1%
139	Franklin, TN Estimated	976	-38.8%
139	Menifee, CA Estimated	976	+36.1%
141	Lafayette, CO Estimated	969	+257.6%
142	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	960	+29.9%
143	Manor, TX Estimated	957	+51.2%
144	Gainesville, FL Estimated	942	-28.5%
145	Tracy, CA Estimated	940	+209.2%
146	Clarksville, TN Estimated	938	-9.2%
147	Katy, TX Estimated	926	+122.1%
148	Bellevue, WA Estimated	924	-29.4%
148	Prosper, TX Estimated	924	+19.4%
150	Grand Prairie, TX Estimated	921	+34.8%
151	Bend, OR Estimated	918	-24.3%
152	Crossville, TN Estimated	914	+220.7%
153	Westfield, IN Estimated	910	+5.4%
154	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	909	+30.4%
155	Salt Lake City, UT Estimated	902	+43.2%
156	Eagle Mountain, UT Estimated	895	-14.9%
157	Gainesville, GA Estimated	893	+76.5%
158	Chino, CA Estimated	891	+46.8%
158	Princeton, TX Estimated	891	+52.3%
160	Ankeny, IA Estimated	890	-26.3%
161	Spring Hill, TN Estimated	877	+7.9%
162	Killeen, TX Estimated	875	-22.9%
163	Midlothian, TX Estimated	864	+27.8%
164	Parker, CO Estimated	863	+11.8%
165	Salem, OR Estimated	861	-11.6%
166	Forney, TX Estimated	860	-13.3%
167	Wichita, KS Estimated	858	-34.3%
168	Spokane, WA Estimated	855	+2.8%
169	Greensboro, NC Estimated	846	-47.4%
170	Brookhaven, GA Estimated	845	+181.7%
171	Lacey, WA Estimated	844	+417.8%
172	Pooler, GA Estimated	843	+237.2%
173	Wylie, TX Estimated	840	+46.9%
174	Bozeman, MT Estimated	838	+1.9%
175	Eugene, OR Estimated	834	+120.1%
176	Temple, TX Estimated	829	+30.6%
177	McAllen, TX Estimated	826	+29.5%
178	Tuscaloosa, AL Estimated	822	-10.4%
179	Pearland, TX Estimated	818	-13.3%
180	Grand Rapids, MI Estimated	814	-7.3%
180	Tulsa, OK Estimated	814	+26.4%
182	Olathe, KS Estimated	813	-14.8%
183	Cedar Park, TX Estimated	811	+88.6%
184	Roseville, CA Estimated	808	-51.8%
185	Leland, NC Estimated	803	-23.2%
186	Sunnyvale, CA Estimated	794	+56.6%
187	Newnan, GA Estimated	793	+156.6%
188	Lakewood, CO Estimated	792	-5.6%
189	Grapevine, TX Estimated	790	+1,580.9%
190	Dublin, CA Estimated	786	-34.3%
191	Broomfield, CO Estimated	785	+88.7%
191	Folsom, CA Estimated	785	+58.9%
191	Fulshear, TX Estimated	785	+3.8%
194	Virginia Beach, VA Estimated	779	-48.9%
195	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	774	+9.8%
196	Wake Forest, NC Estimated	764	-6.5%
197	Commerce City, CO Estimated	759	-3.3%
198	Bayonne, NJ Estimated	757	+35.7%
198	Carmel, IN Estimated	757	0%
200	Milwaukee, WI Estimated	756	+5.7%
201	Cape Girardeau, MO Estimated	751	+47.5%
202	Kissimmee, FL Estimated	749	+18.3%
203	Boulder, CO Estimated	747	+269.8%
204	Foley, AL Estimated	746	+174.3%
205	Odessa, TX Estimated	740	+50.4%
206	Bryan, TX Estimated	735	-31.6%
206	Melissa, TX Estimated	735	+118.1%
208	Cincinnati, OH Estimated	730	+2%
209	Addison, TX Estimated	728	+87.1%
210	Rexburg, ID Estimated	723	+69.7%
211	Bellingham, WA Estimated	718	+25.7%
211	Billings, MT Estimated	718	+45.9%
211	Chapel Hill, NC Estimated	718	+31%
211	Vineyard, UT Estimated	718	-48.8%
215	Suffolk, VA Estimated	717	+27.6%
216	Pflugerville, TX Estimated	716	+9%
217	Greenville, NC Estimated	714	-14.9%
217	Lawrence, KS Estimated	714	+251.7%
219	Plano, TX Estimated	712	-39.4%
220	Clermont, FL Estimated	707	+36.5%
221	St. Paul, MN Estimated	706	+128.5%
222	Canton, GA Estimated	705	+86%
223	Warner Robins, GA Estimated	703	+41.4%
224	Rogers, AR Estimated	702	+4.6%
225	Fayetteville, AR Estimated	701	+53.4%
226	Fishers, IN Estimated	698	-3.7%
227	Post Falls, ID Estimated	697	+20%
228	Elk Grove, CA Estimated	693	+72.4%
228	Mansfield, TX Estimated	693	-5.1%
230	Prescott, AZ Estimated	692	+106.6%
231	Eagle, ID Estimated	691	-25%
232	Palm Bay, FL Estimated	689	+22.2%
233	Beaumont, CA Estimated	684	-7.9%
234	Woodbury, MN Estimated	682	+5.2%
235	Caldwell, ID Estimated	680	+37.7%
236	Kennewick, WA Estimated	679	+75.5%
236	League City, TX Estimated	679	-12.5%
238	Auburn, AL Estimated	678	-29.6%
239	Cambridge, MA Estimated	674	+119.5%
239	Riverside, CA Estimated	674	-4.7%
241	Brownsville, TX Estimated	665	+14.5%
242	Sparks, NV Estimated	664	-64%
243	St. Louis, MO Estimated	661	-15.8%
244	West Jordan, UT Estimated	658	-17.6%
245	Amarillo, TX Estimated	656	+34.7%
246	Chattanooga, TN Estimated	655	-45.5%
246	Erie, CO Estimated	655	+1.6%
248	Sanford, FL Estimated	653	+151.2%
248	Saratoga Springs, UT Estimated	653	+5.3%
248	Washington, UT Estimated	653	+5.5%

Showing the top 250 of 3010. 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. 77 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2018 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/ne2018a.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. (2019). 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, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2018a.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, 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 20 June 2019, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2018a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. 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, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2018a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2019) 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, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2018a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_us_cities_by_housing_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  year = {2019},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2018a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2018. 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/ne2018a.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, 2018
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/06/20
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2018a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2018.
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/ne2018a.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 20,910 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Yorktown, IN, with 0 in 2018.

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. 77 cities have no value for 2018 and are not ranked.