US cities by housing units authorized by building permits

Philadelphia, PA had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 3014 cities in 2021, at 25,257. Zion, IL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 78 and the figure for the United States was 1.74 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest25,257Philadelphia, PA

Lowest0Zion, IL

Median783014 cities

United States1,736,982History

Top 40 cities, 2021

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2021 count	Change on 2020
1	Philadelphia, PA Estimated	25,257	+345.8%
2	New York, NY Estimated	19,923	+2.7%
3	Austin, TX Estimated	18,722	+5.8%
4	Nashville, TN Estimated	16,137	+22.7%
5	Houston, TX Estimated	15,249	-8.1%
6	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	14,088	+14.6%
7	Seattle, WA Estimated	11,980	+109.2%
8	Fort Worth, TX Estimated	11,574	+21%
9	Phoenix, AZ Estimated	11,492	-1.3%
10	San Antonio, TX Estimated	11,158	+21%
11	Dallas, TX Estimated	10,014	+171.3%
12	Denver, CO Estimated	10,000	+97.7%
13	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	9,969	+10.3%
14	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	6,512	+59.4%
15	Raleigh, NC Estimated	6,487	+86.5%
16	Miami, FL Estimated	6,255	+74.6%
17	Georgetown, TX Estimated	5,941	+80.3%
18	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	5,412	+53.4%
19	Chicago, IL Estimated	5,341	+29.2%
20	San Diego, CA Estimated	4,788	+2.3%
21	Henderson, NV Estimated	4,743	+98.4%
22	Mesa, AZ Estimated	4,635	+3.4%
23	Columbus, OH Estimated	4,468	-29.1%
24	Oklahoma City, OK Estimated	4,267	+9%
25	Aurora, CO Estimated	4,176	+53.2%
26	Reno, NV Estimated	3,953	+23.5%
27	Las Vegas, NV Estimated	3,748	+11.7%
28	North Las Vegas, NV Estimated	3,746	-7%
29	Orlando, FL Estimated	3,724	-19.1%
30	Salt Lake City, UT Estimated	3,691	+38.4%
31	Madison, WI Estimated	3,626	+65.9%
32	Boston, MA Estimated	3,512	-0.6%
33	Celina, TX Estimated	3,449	+69.7%
34	Frisco, TX Estimated	3,390	+6.6%
35	Durham, NC Estimated	3,321	-13.3%
36	Clarksville, TN Estimated	3,265	+45.2%
37	Goodyear, AZ Estimated	3,233	+17.1%
37	Leander, TX Estimated	3,233	+40.4%
39	Jersey City, NJ Estimated	3,232	-9%
40	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	3,182	-4.7%
41	Omaha, NE Estimated	3,167	+3.9%
42	Sioux Falls, SD Estimated	3,132	+13.2%
43	Lubbock, TX Estimated	3,131	-13%
44	Sacramento, CA Estimated	3,083	-14%
45	Conroe, TX Estimated	3,081	+58.9%
46	Portland, OR Estimated	3,028	+70.2%
47	Fulshear, TX Estimated	3,008	+19.5%
48	Huntsville, AL Estimated	2,811	+57.1%
49	Meridian, ID Estimated	2,735	+8.1%
50	Surprise, AZ Estimated	2,699	+7.3%
51	Queen Creek, AZ Estimated	2,639	+31.9%
52	Buckeye, AZ Estimated	2,618	-21.6%
53	San Francisco, CA Estimated	2,519	+25.7%
54	Palm Bay, FL Estimated	2,486	+94.5%
55	Tacoma, WA Estimated	2,470	+165%
56	Atlanta, GA Estimated	2,413	+44.1%
57	Tampa, FL Estimated	2,405	-27.8%
58	Vancouver, WA Estimated	2,403	+52.8%
59	Nampa, ID Estimated	2,392	+37.6%
60	New Braunfels, TX Estimated	2,388	-14.2%
60	North Port, FL Estimated	2,388	+47.4%
62	Murfreesboro, TN Estimated	2,376	+34.8%
63	Bellevue, WA Estimated	2,367	+610.8%
64	Irvine, CA Estimated	2,362	+15.8%
65	Kansas City, MO Estimated	2,338	-4.6%
66	Lincoln, NE Estimated	2,320	+33.2%
67	Cary, NC Estimated	2,305	+52.1%
68	Grand Prairie, TX Estimated	2,293	+57.3%
69	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	2,280	+53.8%
70	El Paso, TX Estimated	2,233	+26.7%
71	Arlington, TX Estimated	2,226	+53.8%
72	Fresno, CA Estimated	2,178	+38.2%
73	Kyle, TX Estimated	2,133	+4.5%
74	St. Paul, MN Estimated	2,120	+2.1%
75	Tucson, AZ Estimated	2,093	+19.3%
76	Chandler, AZ Estimated	2,083	+9.6%
77	Hutto, TX Estimated	2,080	+144.4%
78	Lehi, UT Estimated	2,030	+94.4%
79	Boise City, ID Estimated	2,021	+79.6%
80	Round Rock, TX Estimated	1,931	+74.8%
81	Temple, TX Estimated	1,922	+42.7%
82	Gilbert, AZ Estimated	1,919	-27%
83	Peoria, AZ Estimated	1,903	+22.5%
84	Greensboro, NC Estimated	1,892	+31.6%
85	Lewisville, TX Estimated	1,885	+324.5%
86	Roseville, CA Estimated	1,883	+15.1%
87	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	1,853	+17.3%
87	Westfield, IN Estimated	1,853	+17.3%
89	Maricopa, AZ Estimated	1,846	+21.9%
90	Fuquay-Varina, NC Estimated	1,807	+74.6%
91	South Jordan, UT Estimated	1,793	+41.1%
92	Saratoga Springs, UT Estimated	1,763	+10.6%
93	Tempe, AZ Estimated	1,758	+31.3%
94	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	1,756	+59.6%
95	McKinney, TX Estimated	1,727	-25%
96	Allen, TX Estimated	1,711	+218%
97	Commerce City, CO Estimated	1,702	+49%
98	Columbia, SC Estimated	1,700	+211.9%
98	Scottsdale, AZ Estimated	1,700	-44.9%
100	Castle Rock, CO Estimated	1,697	+55.7%
101	Laredo, TX Estimated	1,684	+16.4%
102	West Palm Beach, FL Estimated	1,676	+228%
103	Albuquerque, NM Estimated	1,667	+92.7%
103	Medford, MA Estimated	1,667	+39%
105	Denton, TX Estimated	1,665	-41.8%
106	Lexington, KY Estimated	1,655	+15.2%
107	St. Petersburg, FL Estimated	1,635	+177.6%
108	New Orleans, LA Estimated	1,576	+15.9%
109	Baltimore, MD Estimated	1,557	-3.9%
110	Missoula, MT Estimated	1,556	+184.5%
111	Little Elm, TX Estimated	1,555	+3.8%
112	Casa Grande, AZ Estimated	1,539	+44.2%
113	Eagle Mountain, UT Estimated	1,538	+6.6%
113	Rio Rancho, NM Estimated	1,538	+147.7%
115	Haines City, FL Estimated	1,521	+98%
116	St. George, UT Estimated	1,500	-4.8%
117	Greer, SC Estimated	1,490	+0.5%
118	Norfolk, VA Estimated	1,473	+22.5%
119	Corpus Christi, TX Estimated	1,470	+23.5%
120	Charleston, SC Estimated	1,469	+14.7%
121	Marana, AZ Estimated	1,461	+60%
122	Bend, OR Estimated	1,457	+35.4%
123	Santa Rosa, CA Estimated	1,451	+131.1%
124	Apex, NC Estimated	1,444	+1.2%
125	Odessa, TX Estimated	1,406	+18.4%
126	Sunnyvale, CA Estimated	1,400	+225.6%
127	Eugene, OR Estimated	1,398	+93.6%
128	Chesapeake, VA Estimated	1,383	+22.6%
129	Royse City, TX Estimated	1,370	+74.5%
130	Suffolk, VA Estimated	1,363	+23%
131	Bowling Green, KY Estimated	1,362	+220.5%
132	Oakland, CA Estimated	1,351	+62.8%
133	Leland, NC Estimated	1,346	+28.6%
134	Fayetteville, AR Estimated	1,339	+54.6%
135	Newark, NJ Estimated	1,328	-11.1%
136	Daytona Beach, FL Estimated	1,320	-13.4%
137	Lynnwood, WA Estimated	1,299	+16.4%
138	American Fork, UT Estimated	1,297	+250.5%
139	Fort Mill, SC Estimated	1,276	+14.5%
140	Douglasville, GA Estimated	1,275	+222.8%
141	Menifee, CA Estimated	1,264	-12.9%
142	Gainesville, FL Estimated	1,258	+19.2%
142	Lebanon, TN Estimated	1,258	-0.8%
144	Lakeland, FL Estimated	1,249	+2%
145	Bluffton, SC Estimated	1,245	-17%
146	Chattanooga, TN Estimated	1,232	+18.7%
147	Bryan, TX Estimated	1,220	+58%
147	Prosper, TX Estimated	1,220	+9.4%
149	Bozeman, MT Estimated	1,215	+28.6%
150	Columbia, TN Estimated	1,212	+90.6%
151	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	1,209	+10.2%
152	Olathe, KS Estimated	1,206	+19.3%
153	Killeen, TX Estimated	1,204	-8.4%
154	Waukee, IA Estimated	1,192	+31.6%
155	Plantation, FL Estimated	1,190	+38.2%
156	Franklin, TN Estimated	1,180	+27.8%
157	Ankeny, IA Estimated	1,175	-0.5%
158	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,162	-33.1%
159	Thornton, CO Estimated	1,148	+32.4%
160	Fargo, ND Estimated	1,146	+2%
161	Cincinnati, OH Estimated	1,138	+25.6%
162	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	1,137	-63.4%
163	Anchorage, AK Estimated	1,133	+16.8%
164	Brownsville, TX Estimated	1,129	+16.4%
165	Wichita, KS Estimated	1,128	+34.9%
166	Little Rock, AR Estimated	1,126	+35.2%
166	Tuscaloosa, AL Estimated	1,126	+10%
168	Seguin, TX Estimated	1,124	+41.9%
169	Anna, TX Estimated	1,121	+16.8%
169	Windsor, CO Estimated	1,121	+14.4%
171	Lakeville, MN Estimated	1,119	-3%
172	Bellingham, WA Estimated	1,115	+70%
173	Caldwell, ID Estimated	1,105	+11.1%
174	Rapid City, SD Estimated	1,099	+20.4%
175	Irving, TX Estimated	1,094	+39.5%
176	Spokane Valley, WA Estimated	1,093	-1.5%
177	Winston-Salem, NC Estimated	1,087	-31.3%
178	Erie, CO Estimated	1,082	+112.2%
178	Forney, TX Estimated	1,082	+43.3%
180	Richmond, VA Estimated	1,067	+4.3%
181	Papillion, NE Estimated	1,064	+59.8%
182	Noblesville, IN Estimated	1,063	+66.1%
183	Holly Springs, NC Estimated	1,056	+29.4%
184	Fontana, CA Estimated	1,052	-8%
185	Mansfield, TX Estimated	1,050	+24.3%
186	Davenport, FL Estimated	1,045	+102.9%
187	Clovis, CA Estimated	1,037	-10%
187	Liberty Hill, TX Estimated	1,037	-17.7%
189	West Haven, UT Estimated	1,033	+5%
190	Detroit, MI Estimated	1,023	+20.4%
190	Frederick, MD Estimated	1,023	+93%
190	Loveland, CO Estimated	1,023	+66.9%
193	Lincoln, CA Estimated	1,016	+86.1%
194	Parker, CO Estimated	1,015	+54.5%
195	Mount Pleasant, SC Estimated	1,014	-10.7%
196	McAllen, TX Estimated	1,012	-7.7%
197	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	1,007	+13.5%
198	College Station, TX Estimated	992	-14.8%
198	Garner, NC Estimated	992	+111.5%
200	Rockwall, TX Estimated	989	+29.6%
201	Shoreline, WA Estimated	983	+440.1%
202	Napa, CA Estimated	977	+31.7%
203	Rancho Cucamonga, CA Estimated	973	+178.8%
204	Clearfield, UT Estimated	960	+310.3%
204	Knoxville, TN Estimated	960	-16.4%
206	Tracy, CA Estimated	958	+10.2%
207	St. Louis, MO Estimated	955	+126.3%
208	Folsom, CA Estimated	949	+69.8%
208	Simpsonville, SC Estimated	949	+60.6%
210	West Jordan, UT Estimated	946	+45.3%
211	Carmel, IN Estimated	943	+59.3%
212	Lathrop, CA Estimated	937	+73.2%
213	Washington, UT Estimated	934	+3%
214	Manvel, TX Estimated	931	+20.3%
215	Edinburg, TX Estimated	930	-22.9%
216	Woodbury, MN Estimated	927	+4%
217	Spring Hill, TN Estimated	926	-13.3%
218	Gastonia, NC Estimated	924	+61.8%
219	Northlake, TX Estimated	923	+44.4%
220	Anaheim, CA Estimated	919	+104.7%
221	Lacey, WA Estimated	917	+191.1%
222	Princeton, TX Estimated	916	+11.3%
223	Greeley, CO Estimated	915	+236.4%
224	Billings, MT Estimated	910	+55.3%
225	Hillsboro, OR Estimated	909	+112.9%
226	Long Beach, CA Estimated	908	+8.1%
227	Kalispell, MT Estimated	886	+88.9%
228	Riverside, CA Estimated	883	+156.7%
228	Sanford, FL Estimated	883	+148%
230	Ontario, CA Estimated	882	+19.4%
231	Springfield, MO Estimated	877	+98.4%
232	Waxahachie, TX Estimated	871	+12.8%
233	Abilene, TX Estimated	869	+36.4%
234	Jonesboro, AR Estimated	868	+15%
235	Texas City, TX Estimated	867	-23%
236	Syracuse, UT Estimated	866	+132.2%
237	Gainesville, GA Estimated	863	+93.9%
237	New Rochelle, NY Estimated	863	+5.1%
239	Las Cruces, NM Estimated	862	+6%
240	Midland, TX Estimated	858	-33.4%
241	Stockton, CA Estimated	855	+16.2%
242	Rogers, AR Estimated	851	+17.4%
242	Santa Ana, CA Estimated	851	-5.3%
244	Salem, OR Estimated	846	-32.5%
245	Greenville, NC Estimated	843	+141.5%
246	Santa Fe, NM Estimated	840	+45.6%
246	Visalia, CA Estimated	840	+38.4%
248	Fort Collins, CO Estimated	839	+33.8%
249	Post Falls, ID Estimated	835	-38.8%
250	Prescott Valley, AZ Estimated	832	+31.4%

Showing the top 250 of 3014. 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. 73 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2021 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/ne2021a.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. (2022). 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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2021a.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, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Apr. 2022, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2021a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2022. 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2021a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2022) 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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2021a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_us_cities_by_housing_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2022},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2021a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2021. 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/ne2021a.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, 2021
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/04/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2021a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2021.
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/ne2021a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Philadelphia, PA, with 25,257 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Zion, IL, with 0 in 2021.

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. 73 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.