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 2019, at 26,547. Zion, IL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 65 and the figure for the United States was 1.39 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest26,547New York, NY

Lowest0Zion, IL

Median653010 cities

United States1,386,048History

Top 40 cities, 2019

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2019 count	Change on 2018
1	New York, NY Estimated	26,547	+27%
2	Houston, TX Estimated	15,463	+16.8%
3	Austin, TX Estimated	14,709	+10.7%
4	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	14,387	-11.7%
5	Fort Worth, TX Estimated	11,339	+21.8%
6	Seattle, WA Estimated	10,784	+36.2%
7	Phoenix, AZ Estimated	9,898	+36.3%
8	Nashville, TN Estimated	9,765	+43%
9	San Antonio, TX Estimated	9,196	+55.1%
10	Dallas, TX Estimated	8,093	+0.6%
11	Chicago, IL Estimated	7,914	+22.7%
12	Denver, CO Estimated	7,330	-7%
13	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	6,805	-2.8%
14	Portland, OR Estimated	5,094	-9.8%
15	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	4,813	+32.8%
16	Tampa, FL Estimated	4,777	+167.2%
17	Jersey City, NJ Estimated	4,675	+87.5%
18	Philadelphia, PA Estimated	4,566	+41%
19	Miami, FL Estimated	4,468	-3.4%
20	San Diego, CA Estimated	3,941	-11.5%
21	Durham, NC Estimated	3,829	+18.5%
22	Salt Lake City, UT Estimated	3,486	+286.5%
23	Oklahoma City, OK Estimated	3,371	+8.8%
24	Reno, NV Estimated	3,320	+2.7%
25	Atlanta, GA Estimated	3,283	-49.5%
26	San Francisco, CA Estimated	3,200	-38.2%
27	McKinney, TX Estimated	3,195	-7.7%
28	Frisco, TX Estimated	3,041	-36.9%
29	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	3,039	+3.3%
30	Meridian, ID Estimated	3,024	-3.7%
31	Sacramento, CA Estimated	3,001	+29.1%
32	Boston, MA Estimated	2,993	-16.9%
33	Henderson, NV Estimated	2,826	-27.2%
34	Columbus, OH Estimated	2,770	-35.5%
35	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	2,688	+3.3%
36	Las Vegas, NV Estimated	2,665	+35.1%
37	Buckeye, AZ Estimated	2,652	+20.9%
38	Orlando, FL Estimated	2,634	-14.5%
39	Irvine, CA Estimated	2,509	-26.4%
40	San Jose, CA Estimated	2,345	-17.3%
41	Aurora, CO Estimated	2,328	-11%
42	El Paso, TX Estimated	2,286	+3.5%
43	Leander, TX Estimated	2,239	+11.6%
44	Conroe, TX Estimated	2,232	+43%
45	North Las Vegas, NV Estimated	2,178	+18.4%
46	Murfreesboro, TN Estimated	2,154	-21.7%
47	Omaha, NE Estimated	2,144	-25.7%
48	St. Petersburg, FL Estimated	2,118	+111.2%
49	Lubbock, TX Estimated	2,086	+56.8%
50	Georgetown, TX Estimated	2,085	+1.6%
51	Goodyear, AZ Estimated	2,058	+54.5%
52	Peoria, AZ Estimated	1,990	+39.4%
53	Irving, TX Estimated	1,987	+261.3%
54	Mesa, AZ Estimated	1,985	-32%
55	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	1,978	-28.8%
56	Surprise, AZ Estimated	1,944	+37.4%
57	Apex, NC Estimated	1,918	-14.4%
58	Denton, TX Estimated	1,881	+21.2%
59	Oakland, CA Estimated	1,862	-48.8%
60	Tucson, AZ Estimated	1,816	+17.9%
61	Odessa, TX Estimated	1,782	+140.8%
62	Medford, MA Estimated	1,780	+9,268.4%
63	Nampa, ID Estimated	1,755	+61.2%
64	New Braunfels, TX Estimated	1,737	-10%
65	Lincoln, NE Estimated	1,727	+12.7%
66	Gilbert, AZ Estimated	1,705	-4.7%
67	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	1,682	+10.4%
68	Arlington, TX Estimated	1,662	+5.8%
69	Madison, WI Estimated	1,658	+14.9%
70	Sioux Falls, SD Estimated	1,656	-16.4%
71	Fayetteville, AR Estimated	1,616	+130.5%
72	Fresno, CA Estimated	1,611	+30%
73	Huntsville, AL Estimated	1,603	+22.2%
74	Laredo, TX Estimated	1,602	+16.5%
75	Clarksville, TN Estimated	1,588	+69.3%
76	Farmers Branch, TX Estimated	1,582	-52.8%
77	Boise City, ID Estimated	1,581	+38.7%
78	St. Paul, MN Estimated	1,575	+123.1%
79	Lakeland, FL Estimated	1,559	+258.4%
80	Herriman, UT Estimated	1,532	-25.4%
81	St. George, UT Estimated	1,527	+16.7%
82	Cary, NC Estimated	1,523	-2.5%
83	Kansas City, MO Estimated	1,498	-30.5%
84	Queen Creek, AZ Estimated	1,485	+14.6%
85	Auburn, AL Estimated	1,477	+117.8%
86	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,472	+32.9%
87	North Charleston, SC Estimated	1,439	+13.3%
88	Ontario, CA Estimated	1,431	+7.9%
89	Tempe, AZ Estimated	1,401	-20.4%
90	Kirkland, WA Estimated	1,383	-47.7%
90	Lexington, KY Estimated	1,383	-22.7%
92	Vancouver, WA Estimated	1,372	+23.2%
93	North Port, FL Estimated	1,352	+6.1%
94	Virginia Beach, VA Estimated	1,350	+73.3%
95	Menifee, CA Estimated	1,349	+38.2%
96	Hayward, CA Estimated	1,348	+369.7%
97	Plano, TX Estimated	1,345	+88.9%
98	Sparks, NV Estimated	1,338	+101.5%
99	New Orleans, LA Estimated	1,306	+0.2%
100	Hillsboro, OR Estimated	1,304	+252.4%
101	Lehi, UT Estimated	1,303	-2.8%
102	Midland, TX Estimated	1,290	+5.6%
103	Harrison, NJ Estimated	1,289	+2,764.4%
104	New Rochelle, NY Estimated	1,284	+3,110%
105	Scottsdale, AZ Estimated	1,259	+6.8%
106	Fulshear, TX Estimated	1,253	+59.6%
107	Fort Lauderdale, FL Estimated	1,247	+267.8%
108	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	1,246	+29.8%
109	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	1,240	+36.4%
109	Richmond, VA Estimated	1,240	+120.2%
111	Celina, TX Estimated	1,238	-0.8%
112	Allen, TX Estimated	1,230	+16.7%
113	Knoxville, TN Estimated	1,224	+101%
114	West Melbourne, FL Estimated	1,218	+146.1%
115	Gainesville, FL Estimated	1,214	+28.9%
116	Roseville, CA Estimated	1,213	+50.1%
117	Tulsa, OK Estimated	1,209	+48.5%
118	Raleigh, NC Estimated	1,207	-71.3%
119	Bluffton, SC Estimated	1,190	+2%
119	Santa Rosa, CA Estimated	1,190	-30%
121	Overland Park, KS Estimated	1,189	-43.6%
122	Charleston, SC Estimated	1,188	+2.1%
123	Grand Prairie, TX Estimated	1,186	+28.8%
124	Winston-Salem, NC Estimated	1,185	-11.2%
125	Washington, UT Estimated	1,178	+80.4%
126	Tuscaloosa, AL Estimated	1,165	+41.7%
127	Long Beach, CA Estimated	1,161	+477.6%
127	Post Falls, ID Estimated	1,161	+66.6%
129	Fremont, CA Estimated	1,148	-41.6%
130	Bayonne, NJ Estimated	1,143	+51%
131	Clovis, CA Estimated	1,142	+3.2%
132	Stamford, CT Estimated	1,140	+819.4%
133	Chattanooga, TN Estimated	1,130	+72.5%
134	Cincinnati, OH Estimated	1,127	+54.4%
135	Ankeny, IA Estimated	1,126	+26.5%
136	Eagle Mountain, UT Estimated	1,105	+23.5%
137	Franklin, TN Estimated	1,099	+12.6%
138	Lee's Summit, MO Estimated	1,095	+99.8%
139	Albuquerque, NM Estimated	1,094	-1.9%
140	Bentonville, AR Estimated	1,076	-40.4%
140	Tacoma, WA Estimated	1,076	+4.2%
142	Corpus Christi, TX Estimated	1,074	+5.7%
143	Bellingham, WA Estimated	1,072	+49.3%
144	Anchorage, AK Estimated	1,059	-2.2%
145	Doral, FL Estimated	1,058	-49.9%
146	Westfield, IN Estimated	1,038	+14.1%
147	Salem, OR Estimated	1,034	+20.1%
148	Chandler, AZ Estimated	1,033	-22.4%
149	South Jordan, UT Estimated	1,031	-5.6%
150	Little Rock, AR Estimated	1,019	+116.8%
151	Castle Rock, CO Estimated	1,013	-32.4%
152	Fort Mill, SC Estimated	1,010	+0.8%
152	Round Rock, TX Estimated	1,010	-26.3%
154	Temple, TX Estimated	1,006	+21.4%
155	Maricopa, AZ Estimated	1,003	+1.5%
156	Leland, NC Estimated	993	+23.7%
157	Chesapeake, VA Estimated	991	-3.9%
158	Wichita, KS Estimated	982	+14.5%
159	Edinburg, TX Estimated	975	-32.4%
160	Longmont, CO Estimated	966	-9.5%
161	Spokane Valley, WA Estimated	963	+77.7%
162	Little Elm, TX Estimated	962	-17.2%
163	North Richland Hills, TX Estimated	959	+309.8%
164	Lakeville, MN Estimated	955	+58.1%
165	Minnetonka, MN Estimated	953	+297.1%
166	Fort Collins, CO Estimated	948	-11.5%
167	Waco, TX Estimated	938	+63.1%
168	Brownsville, TX Estimated	937	+40.9%
169	Greensboro, NC Estimated	933	+10.3%
169	Greenville, SC Estimated	933	-12.3%
171	Caldwell, ID Estimated	931	+36.9%
172	Lewisville, TX Estimated	929	-10.7%
173	Lakewood, CO Estimated	915	+15.5%
174	Windsor, CO Estimated	898	+50.4%
175	Santa Clarita, CA Estimated	894	+106.5%
176	Kyle, TX Estimated	892	+48.9%
177	Thornton, CO Estimated	880	-11.4%
178	Eagle, ID Estimated	870	+25.9%
179	Greeley, CO Estimated	867	+61.2%
179	Pflugerville, TX Estimated	867	+21.1%
181	McAllen, TX Estimated	865	+4.7%
182	Plantation, FL Estimated	862	+227.8%
183	Katy, TX Estimated	858	-7.3%
183	Killeen, TX Estimated	858	-1.9%
185	Spring Hill, TN Estimated	857	-2.3%
186	Fishers, IN Estimated	855	+22.5%
187	Weslaco, TX Estimated	854	+167.7%
188	Greer, SC Estimated	851	+47.5%
189	Prosper, TX Estimated	847	-8.3%
190	Champaign, IL Estimated	846	-23.6%
191	Sevierville, TN Estimated	841	+117.9%
192	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	839	-52.1%
193	Fontana, CA Estimated	836	+67.9%
194	Bozeman, MT Estimated	834	-0.5%
194	Lebanon, TN Estimated	834	+70.2%
196	Cibolo, TX Estimated	827	+117.6%
197	Chico, CA Estimated	822	+83.1%
198	Tracy, CA Estimated	821	-12.7%
199	Norfolk, VA Estimated	819	+37.9%
200	Gresham, OR Estimated	817	+134.8%
201	Woodinville, WA Estimated	816	+205.6%
202	Texas City, TX Estimated	814	+59.6%
203	Marana, AZ Estimated	808	-27.1%
204	Hackensack, NJ Estimated	784	+833.3%
204	Ridgefield, WA Estimated	784	+149.7%
206	Shakopee, MN Estimated	783	+337.4%
207	Palm Bay, FL Estimated	782	+13.5%
208	Smyrna, TN Estimated	776	+75.2%
209	Rochester, MN Estimated	774	-45.3%
210	Cape Girardeau, MO Estimated	772	+2.8%
211	Boynton Beach, FL Estimated	769	+173.7%
212	Redmond, OR Estimated	768	+50%
213	Elk Grove, CA Estimated	764	+10.2%
213	Fuquay-Varina, NC Estimated	764	+26.9%
215	Richland, WA Estimated	760	+129.6%
216	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	757	-2.2%
217	Bend, OR Estimated	756	-17.6%
218	Holly Springs, NC Estimated	755	+47.5%
219	Orem, UT Estimated	753	+38.2%
220	Selma, TX Estimated	750	+1,530.4%
221	Rockville, MD Estimated	745	+709.8%
222	League City, TX Estimated	742	+9.3%
223	Delaware, OH Estimated	741	+18.9%
224	Rogers, AR Estimated	734	+4.6%
225	Saratoga Springs, UT Estimated	727	+11.3%
226	Everett, WA Estimated	723	+195.1%
226	Lake Charles, LA Estimated	723	+11.1%
228	Prescott Valley, AZ Estimated	720	+33.3%
229	Kissimmee, FL Estimated	719	-4%
230	Canton, GA Estimated	718	+1.8%
231	Napa, CA Estimated	714	+1,357.1%
232	Brea, CA Estimated	709	+7,777.8%
232	Bryan, TX Estimated	709	-3.5%
234	West Jordan, UT Estimated	702	+6.7%
235	Greenville, NC Estimated	701	-1.8%
236	New Haven, CT Estimated	699	+52%
236	Visalia, CA Estimated	699	+21.1%
238	Mount Juliet, TN Estimated	698	+43.9%
239	Haines City, FL Estimated	696	+104.7%
239	Hinesville, GA Estimated	696	+284.5%
241	Suffolk, VA Estimated	695	-3.1%
241	Woodbury, MN Estimated	695	+1.9%
243	Manor, TX Estimated	690	-27.9%
244	Manteca, CA Estimated	689	+31.5%
245	Las Cruces, NM Estimated	686	+5.7%
245	Morrisville, NC Estimated	686	+14.3%
247	Lacey, WA Estimated	685	-18.8%
248	Pinellas Park, FL Estimated	684	+136.7%
249	Alameda, CA Estimated	683	+2,103.2%
249	Waxahachie, TX Estimated	683	+4.8%

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 2019 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/ne2019a.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. (2020). 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, 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2019a.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, 2019. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2020, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2019a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2019. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2020. 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, 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2019a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2020) 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, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2019a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_us_cities_by_housing_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  year = {2020},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2019a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2019. 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/ne2019a.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, 2019
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2019a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2019.
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/ne2019a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

New York, NY, with 26,547 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Zion, IL, with 0 in 2019.

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 2019 and are not ranked.