US cities by housing units authorized by building permits

New York, NY had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 3012 cities in 2020, at 19,407. Zion, IL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 69 and the figure for the United States was 1.47 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest19,407New York, NY

Lowest0Zion, IL

Median693012 cities

United States1,471,141History

Top 40 cities, 2020

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2020 count	Change on 2019
1	New York, NY Estimated	19,407	-26.9%
2	Austin, TX Estimated	17,690	+20.3%
3	Houston, TX Estimated	16,585	+7.3%
4	Nashville, TN Estimated	13,149	+34.7%
5	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	12,292	-14.6%
6	Phoenix, AZ Estimated	11,647	+17.7%
7	Fort Worth, TX Estimated	9,568	-15.6%
8	San Antonio, TX Estimated	9,225	+0.3%
9	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	9,034	+32.8%
10	Columbus, OH Estimated	6,301	+127.5%
11	Seattle, WA Estimated	5,726	-46.9%
12	Philadelphia, PA Estimated	5,665	+24.1%
13	Denver, CO Estimated	5,059	-31%
14	San Diego, CA Estimated	4,682	+18.8%
15	Orlando, FL Estimated	4,601	+74.7%
16	Mesa, AZ Estimated	4,484	+125.9%
17	Chicago, IL Estimated	4,133	-47.8%
18	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	4,085	+34.4%
19	North Las Vegas, NV Estimated	4,030	+85%
20	Oklahoma City, OK Estimated	3,916	+16.2%
21	Durham, NC Estimated	3,832	+0.1%
22	Dallas, TX Estimated	3,691	-54.4%
23	Lubbock, TX Estimated	3,600	+72.6%
24	Sacramento, CA Estimated	3,584	+19.4%
25	Miami, FL Estimated	3,583	-19.8%
26	Jersey City, NJ Estimated	3,552	-24%
27	Boston, MA Estimated	3,532	+18%
28	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	3,527	+31.2%
29	Raleigh, NC Estimated	3,479	+188.2%
30	Las Vegas, NV Estimated	3,356	+25.9%
31	Buckeye, AZ Estimated	3,341	+26%
32	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	3,340	-30.6%
33	Tampa, FL Estimated	3,333	-30.2%
34	Georgetown, TX Estimated	3,295	+58%
35	Reno, NV Estimated	3,201	-3.6%
36	Frisco, TX Estimated	3,179	+4.5%
37	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	3,105	+57%
38	Scottsdale, AZ Estimated	3,086	+145.1%
39	Omaha, NE Estimated	3,049	+42.2%
40	Denton, TX Estimated	2,860	+52%
41	New Braunfels, TX Estimated	2,783	+60.2%
42	Sioux Falls, SD Estimated	2,767	+67.1%
43	Goodyear, AZ Estimated	2,760	+34.1%
44	Aurora, CO Estimated	2,725	+17.1%
45	Salt Lake City, UT Estimated	2,667	-23.5%
46	Gilbert, AZ Estimated	2,630	+54.3%
47	Meridian, ID Estimated	2,530	-16.3%
48	Fulshear, TX Estimated	2,517	+100.9%
49	Surprise, AZ Estimated	2,515	+29.4%
50	Kansas City, MO Estimated	2,450	+63.6%
51	Henderson, NV Estimated	2,391	-15.4%
52	Leander, TX Estimated	2,302	+2.8%
52	McKinney, TX Estimated	2,302	-27.9%
54	Clarksville, TN Estimated	2,248	+41.6%
55	Madison, WI Estimated	2,185	+31.8%
56	St. Paul, MN Estimated	2,077	+31.9%
57	Kyle, TX Estimated	2,042	+128.9%
58	Irvine, CA Estimated	2,040	-18.7%
59	Celina, TX Estimated	2,033	+64.2%
60	Redmond, WA Estimated	2,005	+340.7%
61	San Francisco, CA Estimated	2,004	-37.4%
62	Queen Creek, AZ Estimated	2,001	+34.7%
63	Conroe, TX Estimated	1,939	-13.1%
64	Chandler, AZ Estimated	1,901	+84%
65	Huntsville, AL Estimated	1,789	+11.6%
66	Portland, OR Estimated	1,779	-65.1%
67	El Paso, TX Estimated	1,762	-22.9%
67	Murfreesboro, TN Estimated	1,762	-18.2%
69	Tucson, AZ Estimated	1,755	-3.4%
70	Lincoln, NE Estimated	1,742	+0.9%
71	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,738	+18.1%
71	Nampa, ID Estimated	1,738	-1%
73	Atlanta, GA Estimated	1,674	-49%
74	Roseville, CA Estimated	1,636	+34.9%
75	Baltimore, MD Estimated	1,621	+217.8%
76	North Port, FL Estimated	1,620	+19.8%
77	Manor, TX Estimated	1,597	+131.4%
78	Saratoga Springs, UT Estimated	1,594	+119.3%
79	Winston-Salem, NC Estimated	1,582	+33.5%
80	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	1,580	-6.1%
80	Westfield, IN Estimated	1,580	+52.2%
82	Fresno, CA Estimated	1,576	-2.2%
83	St. George, UT Estimated	1,575	+3.1%
84	Vancouver, WA Estimated	1,573	+14.7%
85	Peoria, AZ Estimated	1,554	-21.9%
86	Daytona Beach, FL Estimated	1,524	+249.5%
87	Auburn, AL Estimated	1,521	+3%
88	Cary, NC Estimated	1,515	-0.5%
89	Maricopa, AZ Estimated	1,514	+50.9%
90	Bluffton, SC Estimated	1,500	+26.1%
91	Little Elm, TX Estimated	1,498	+55.7%
92	Newark, NJ Estimated	1,494	+164.9%
93	Greer, SC Estimated	1,482	+74.1%
93	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	1,482	+19.5%
95	Santa Clarita, CA Estimated	1,471	+64.5%
96	Grand Prairie, TX Estimated	1,458	+22.9%
97	Menifee, CA Estimated	1,452	+7.6%
98	Arlington, TX Estimated	1,447	-12.9%
98	Laredo, TX Estimated	1,447	-9.7%
100	Eagle Mountain, UT Estimated	1,443	+30.6%
101	Greensboro, NC Estimated	1,438	+54.1%
102	Lexington, KY Estimated	1,437	+3.9%
103	Apex, NC Estimated	1,427	-25.6%
104	North Charleston, SC Estimated	1,396	-3%
105	Burleson, TX Estimated	1,381	+159.1%
106	San Jose, CA Estimated	1,369	-41.6%
107	Post Falls, ID Estimated	1,364	+17.5%
108	New Orleans, LA Estimated	1,360	+4.1%
109	Temple, TX Estimated	1,347	+33.9%
110	Columbus, GA Estimated	1,342	+97.1%
111	Tempe, AZ Estimated	1,339	-4.4%
112	Pflugerville, TX Estimated	1,333	+53.7%
113	Killeen, TX Estimated	1,314	+53.1%
114	Midland, TX Estimated	1,289	-0.1%
115	Charleston, SC Estimated	1,281	+7.8%
116	Palm Bay, FL Estimated	1,278	+63.4%
117	South Jordan, UT Estimated	1,271	+23.3%
118	Lebanon, TN Estimated	1,268	+52%
119	Liberty Hill, TX Estimated	1,260	+462.5%
120	Salem, OR Estimated	1,254	+21.3%
121	Lakewood, CO Estimated	1,237	+35.2%
122	Blacksburg, VA Estimated	1,233	+608.6%
123	Lakeland, FL Estimated	1,224	-21.5%
124	Edinburg, TX Estimated	1,207	+23.8%
125	Norfolk, VA Estimated	1,202	+46.8%
126	Medford, MA Estimated	1,199	-32.6%
127	Corpus Christi, TX Estimated	1,190	+10.8%
128	Odessa, TX Estimated	1,188	-33.3%
129	Ankeny, IA Estimated	1,181	+4.9%
130	Gallatin, TN Estimated	1,178	+103.5%
131	Bentonville, AR Estimated	1,168	+8.6%
132	College Station, TX Estimated	1,165	+88.8%
133	Lakeville, MN Estimated	1,154	+20.8%
134	Clovis, CA Estimated	1,152	+0.9%
135	Knoxville, TN Estimated	1,149	-6.1%
136	Greenville, SC Estimated	1,146	+22.8%
137	Fontana, CA Estimated	1,143	+36.7%
138	Commerce City, CO Estimated	1,142	+81.6%
139	Mount Pleasant, SC Estimated	1,136	+107.7%
140	Chesapeake, VA Estimated	1,128	+13.8%
141	Texas City, TX Estimated	1,126	+38.3%
142	Boise City, ID Estimated	1,125	-28.8%
143	Fargo, ND Estimated	1,124	+132.7%
144	Lynnwood, WA Estimated	1,116	+3,620%
145	Prosper, TX Estimated	1,115	+31.6%
146	Fort Mill, SC Estimated	1,114	+10.3%
147	Spokane Valley, WA Estimated	1,110	+15.3%
148	Suffolk, VA Estimated	1,108	+59.4%
149	Round Rock, TX Estimated	1,105	+9.4%
150	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	1,100	+31.1%
151	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	1,097	-12%
152	Broken Arrow, OK Estimated	1,096	+90.6%
152	McAllen, TX Estimated	1,096	+26.7%
154	Castle Rock, CO Estimated	1,090	+7.6%
155	Harrison, NJ Estimated	1,089	-15.5%
156	Bend, OR Estimated	1,076	+42.3%
157	Spring Hill, TN Estimated	1,068	+24.6%
158	Casa Grande, AZ Estimated	1,067	+88.2%
158	O'Fallon, MO Estimated	1,067	+86.9%
160	Long Branch, NJ Estimated	1,062	+130.9%
161	Gainesville, FL Estimated	1,055	-13.1%
162	Leland, NC Estimated	1,047	+5.4%
163	Lehi, UT Estimated	1,044	-19.9%
164	Chattanooga, TN Estimated	1,038	-8.1%
165	Fuquay-Varina, NC Estimated	1,035	+35.5%
165	Paradise, CA Estimated	1,035	+231.7%
167	Tuscaloosa, AL Estimated	1,024	-12.1%
168	Hialeah, FL Estimated	1,023	+73.1%
168	Richmond, VA Estimated	1,023	-17.5%
170	Olathe, KS Estimated	1,011	+60.2%
171	Caldwell, ID Estimated	995	+6.9%
172	Lee's Summit, MO Estimated	987	-9.9%
173	West Haven, UT Estimated	984	+49.5%
174	Windsor, CO Estimated	980	+9.1%
175	Plano, TX Estimated	976	-27.4%
176	Anchorage, AK Estimated	970	-8.4%
176	Brownsville, TX Estimated	970	+3.5%
178	Herriman, UT Estimated	967	-36.9%
179	Anna, TX Estimated	960	+50.7%
180	Bozeman, MT Estimated	945	+13.3%
181	Virginia Beach, VA Estimated	938	-30.5%
182	Tacoma, WA Estimated	932	-13.4%
183	Franklin, TN Estimated	923	-16%
184	Marana, AZ Estimated	913	+13%
184	Rapid City, SD Estimated	913	+148.1%
186	Washington, UT Estimated	907	-23%
187	Cincinnati, OH Estimated	906	-19.6%
187	Waukee, IA Estimated	906	+40.5%
189	Avondale, AZ Estimated	903	+768.3%
190	Santa Ana, CA Estimated	899	+39.8%
191	Champaign, IL Estimated	897	+6%
191	South Fulton, GA Estimated	897	+233.5%
193	Woodbury, MN Estimated	891	+28.2%
194	Beaverton, OR Estimated	890	+127%
195	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	887	+17.2%
196	Bayonne, NJ Estimated	878	-23.2%
197	Weatherford, TX Estimated	877	+226%
198	Tracy, CA Estimated	869	+5.8%
199	Thornton, CO Estimated	867	-1.5%
200	Fayetteville, AR Estimated	866	-46.4%
201	Albuquerque, NM Estimated	865	-20.9%
202	Fairfield, CA Estimated	861	+147.4%
202	Plantation, FL Estimated	861	-0.1%
204	Wake Forest, NC Estimated	860	+26.3%
205	Fishers, IN Estimated	858	+0.4%
206	Melissa, TX Estimated	857	+53%
207	Longmont, CO Estimated	855	-11.5%
208	Millcreek, UT Estimated	854	+1,009.1%
209	Burlington, NC Estimated	851	+27%
209	Hutto, TX Estimated	851	+59.7%
211	Detroit, MI Estimated	850	+113%
212	League City, TX Estimated	847	+14.2%
213	Amarillo, TX Estimated	845	+79%
213	Mansfield, TX Estimated	845	+81.3%
215	Long Beach, CA Estimated	840	-27.6%
216	Waco, TX Estimated	836	-10.9%
216	Wichita, KS Estimated	836	-14.9%
218	Fate, TX Estimated	835	+53.5%
219	Little Rock, AR Estimated	833	-18.3%
220	Tulsa, OK Estimated	831	-31.3%
221	Oakland, CA Estimated	830	-55.4%
222	Brighton, CO Estimated	827	+89.2%
223	Princeton, TX Estimated	823	+26.6%
224	New Rochelle, NY Estimated	821	-36.1%
225	Holly Springs, NC Estimated	816	+8.1%
226	Las Cruces, NM Estimated	813	+18.5%
227	Rochester, NY Estimated	799	+130.9%
228	Iowa Colony, TX Estimated	796	+30.3%
229	Norman, OK Estimated	795	+77.1%
230	Seguin, TX Estimated	792	+360.5%
231	Royse City, TX Estimated	785	+223%
232	Irving, TX Estimated	784	-60.5%
233	Logan, UT Estimated	783	+68.8%
234	Conway, AR Estimated	782	+135.5%
235	Draper, UT Estimated	779	+198.5%
236	Manvel, TX Estimated	774	+66.5%
237	Bryan, TX Estimated	772	+8.9%
237	Josephine, TX Estimated	772	+362.3%
237	Waxahachie, TX Estimated	772	+13%
240	Haines City, FL Estimated	768	+10.3%
241	Maple Grove, MN Estimated	764	+65.7%
242	Rockwall, TX Estimated	763	+39.7%
242	Smyrna, TN Estimated	763	-1.7%
244	Elk Grove, CA Estimated	760	-0.5%
245	Sachse, TX Estimated	759	+1,586.7%
246	Forney, TX Estimated	755	+145.1%
246	Jonesboro, AR Estimated	755	+13.9%
248	Foley, AL Estimated	751	+45.8%
249	Merced, CA Estimated	744	+11.4%
250	Apopka, FL Estimated	743	+124.5%

Showing the top 250 of 3012. 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. 75 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2020 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/ne2020a.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. (2021). 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, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.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, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 3 May 2021, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2021. 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, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2021) 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, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_us_cities_by_housing_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2020. 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/ne2020a.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, 2020
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/05/03
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2020.
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/ne2020a.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 19,407 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Zion, IL, with 0 in 2020.

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. 75 cities have no value for 2020 and are not ranked.