US cities by housing units authorized by building permits

New York, NY had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 3036 cities in 2023, at 31,965. York, PA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 60 and the figure for the United States was 1.51 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest31,965New York, NY

Lowest0York, PA

Median603036 cities

United States1,511,102History

Top 40 cities, 2023

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

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2023 count	Change on 2022
1	New York, NY Estimated	31,965	-2.7%
2	Houston, TX Estimated	16,430	+4.4%
3	Phoenix, AZ Estimated	14,468	-0.9%
4	Austin, TX Estimated	13,684	-25.8%
5	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	13,154	-21.3%
6	Nashville, TN Estimated	11,158	-24.6%
7	Fort Worth, TX Estimated	10,060	-16%
8	Jacksonville, FL Estimated	9,708	-14.4%
9	San Antonio, TX Estimated	9,159	-35.4%
10	Atlanta, GA Estimated	7,621	-35.7%
11	Dallas, TX Estimated	6,424	-37.2%
12	Raleigh, NC Estimated	6,388	-26%
13	San Diego, CA Estimated	5,765	+30.4%
14	Denver, CO Estimated	5,725	-31%
15	Miami, FL Estimated	5,420	+24.4%
16	Seattle, WA Estimated	5,299	-41.1%
17	Columbus, OH Estimated	5,283	-14.5%
18	McKinney, TX Estimated	4,802	+44.9%
19	Durham, NC Estimated	4,365	-0%
20	Port St. Lucie, FL Estimated	4,182	-24.5%
21	Oklahoma City, OK Estimated	4,144	+11.5%
22	Cape Coral, FL Estimated	3,995	-15.6%
23	Henderson, NV Estimated	3,928	+3.9%
24	Philadelphia, PA Estimated	3,863	+19.9%
25	Fulshear, TX Estimated	3,854	+28.4%
26	Aurora, CO Estimated	3,846	+17.3%
27	Chicago, IL Estimated	3,616	-49.2%
27	Las Vegas, NV Estimated	3,616	-10.2%
29	Frisco, TX Estimated	3,400	+17.4%
30	Denton, TX Estimated	3,292	-18.5%
31	Reno, NV Estimated	3,235	-12.4%
32	Salt Lake City, UT Estimated	3,172	-12.7%
33	Tampa, FL Estimated	3,153	-34.4%
34	Portland, OR Estimated	3,089	+40.6%
35	Omaha, NE Estimated	3,050	-19.1%
36	Princeton, TX Estimated	2,882	+61.5%
37	Ontario, CA Estimated	2,796	+161.1%
38	Surprise, AZ Estimated	2,772	-8.4%
39	Leesburg, FL Estimated	2,759	+130.1%
40	Sioux Falls, SD Estimated	2,736	-38.7%
41	Palm Bay, FL Estimated	2,716	+7.6%
42	Celina, TX Estimated	2,696	-15.6%
43	San Jose, CA Estimated	2,650	+32.3%
44	Madison, WI Estimated	2,620	+11%
45	Huntsville, AL Estimated	2,600	+130.1%
46	Leander, TX Estimated	2,578	+12%
47	Conroe, TX Estimated	2,569	-24.4%
48	Sacramento, CA Estimated	2,517	+22.5%
49	Pittsburgh, PA Estimated	2,512	+23.9%
50	Goodyear, AZ Estimated	2,488	+63%
51	Westfield, IN Estimated	2,476	+38.2%
52	Buckeye, AZ Estimated	2,411	+9.9%
53	Orlando, FL Estimated	2,401	-31.7%
54	Jersey City, NJ Estimated	2,339	-37.5%
55	Meridian, ID Estimated	2,336	-23.9%
56	North Port, FL Estimated	2,332	+2%
57	Richmond, VA Estimated	2,283	-13.8%
58	Clarksville, TN Estimated	2,260	-27.9%
59	St. Petersburg, FL Estimated	2,256	+14.1%
60	Lubbock, TX Estimated	2,193	-25.6%
61	Mesa, AZ Estimated	2,162	-41.1%
62	North Charleston, SC Estimated	2,156	+27.4%
63	Winston-Salem, NC Estimated	2,141	-21.3%
64	Palm Coast, FL Estimated	2,136	-9%
64	Queen Creek, AZ Estimated	2,136	+4.5%
66	New Braunfels, TX Estimated	2,095	-21.4%
67	Boston, MA Estimated	2,051	-47.9%
68	Georgetown, TX Estimated	1,986	-56.6%
69	Lincoln, NE Estimated	1,981	-36.5%
70	Roseville, CA Estimated	1,966	+9.1%
71	North Las Vegas, NV Estimated	1,959	-11.8%
72	Fontana, CA Estimated	1,930	+70.8%
73	Garner, NC Estimated	1,908	+114.1%
74	Boise City, ID Estimated	1,897	+18.4%
75	Avondale, AZ Estimated	1,893	-31.9%
76	Leland, NC Estimated	1,886	+74.6%
77	Daytona Beach, FL Estimated	1,883	-24.2%
78	Haines City, FL Estimated	1,869	+27%
79	El Paso, TX Estimated	1,852	-5.9%
80	Baltimore, MD Estimated	1,843	+11.2%
81	Garland, TX Estimated	1,838	+558.8%
82	Glendale, AZ Estimated	1,813	+25.5%
83	Fresno, CA Estimated	1,802	-14%
84	Wichita, KS Estimated	1,778	+67.3%
85	Greensboro, NC Estimated	1,767	+54.6%
86	Venice, FL Estimated	1,748	+70.2%
87	Tallahassee, FL Estimated	1,698	-17.1%
88	Caldwell, ID Estimated	1,697	+48.1%
89	Tucson, AZ Estimated	1,668	-11.3%
90	Bend, OR Estimated	1,614	+35.3%
91	Gilbert, AZ Estimated	1,603	+11.3%
92	Columbia, SC Estimated	1,601	-24.9%
93	Foley, AL Estimated	1,565	+170.3%
94	Temple, TX Estimated	1,556	-19%
95	Sherman, TX Estimated	1,550	+8.8%
96	Laredo, TX Estimated	1,542	+21.2%
97	Marana, AZ Estimated	1,532	-4.3%
98	Santa Ana, CA Estimated	1,530	+88.4%
99	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	1,528	-58.5%
100	Apex, NC Estimated	1,517	+40.6%
101	Folsom, CA Estimated	1,507	+42%
102	Tempe, AZ Estimated	1,496	-14.3%
103	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,471	-17.4%
104	Fort Myers, FL Estimated	1,447	-1%
105	Hialeah, FL Estimated	1,443	+71.2%
106	San Marcos, TX Estimated	1,442	+54.4%
107	Shoreline, WA Estimated	1,428	+27.4%
108	Norfolk, VA Estimated	1,427	+18.1%
109	Edinburg, TX Estimated	1,417	+57.1%
110	Waco, TX Estimated	1,409	+46.3%
111	Anna, TX Estimated	1,406	-2.8%
112	Lexington, KY Estimated	1,398	-19.2%
113	Vancouver, WA Estimated	1,359	-27.8%
114	Newark, NJ Estimated	1,358	-22.3%
115	Santa Rosa, CA Estimated	1,346	+12.4%
116	Grand Prairie, TX Estimated	1,339	+34.8%
117	Round Rock, TX Estimated	1,334	-8.4%
118	Murfreesboro, TN Estimated	1,320	+10.4%
119	Spokane, WA Estimated	1,295	+124%
120	Temecula, CA Estimated	1,293	+92.7%
121	Broomfield, CO Estimated	1,277	+137.4%
122	Cary, NC Estimated	1,275	-13.1%
123	Fargo, ND Estimated	1,272	+3.2%
124	Arlington, TX Estimated	1,265	-56.4%
125	Rio Rancho, NM Estimated	1,255	+66.7%
126	Charleston, SC Estimated	1,254	-10.5%
127	Kyle, TX Estimated	1,249	-41.3%
128	Nampa, ID Estimated	1,244	-31.2%
129	Kansas City, MO Estimated	1,234	-37.9%
130	Lebanon, TN Estimated	1,233	-31.3%
131	Broken Arrow, OK Estimated	1,231	+134%
132	Frederick, MD Estimated	1,229	-20.3%
133	Detroit, MI Estimated	1,225	-11.2%
134	Kennesaw, GA Estimated	1,213	+135.5%
135	St. Paul, MN Estimated	1,204	+3%
136	Maricopa, AZ Estimated	1,201	-44%
137	Parker, CO Estimated	1,200	+50.2%
138	Madison, AL Estimated	1,198	+308.9%
139	Seguin, TX Estimated	1,194	-2%
140	Elizabethtown, KY Estimated	1,187	+57.8%
141	McAllen, TX Estimated	1,181	-11.2%
141	Saratoga Springs, UT Estimated	1,181	+8.2%
143	Hardeeville, SC Estimated	1,175	+20.4%
144	Rapid City, SD Estimated	1,167	+60.1%
145	Waukee, IA Estimated	1,163	-4.4%
146	Winter Haven, FL Estimated	1,153	+32.7%
147	Elk Grove, CA Estimated	1,149	+97.8%
148	Rosemount, MN Estimated	1,148	+403.5%
149	Smyrna, TN Estimated	1,139	+222.7%
150	San Francisco, CA Estimated	1,136	-43.6%
151	St. Cloud, FL Estimated	1,131	+28.1%
152	Hutto, TX Estimated	1,129	+59.2%
153	Gulfport, MS Estimated	1,122	+3.3%
154	Chattanooga, TN Estimated	1,121	-11.8%
155	Wake Forest, NC Estimated	1,105	+46.6%
156	Knoxville, TN Estimated	1,101	+21.9%
157	Bentonville, AR Estimated	1,100	+4.5%
158	Albuquerque, NM Estimated	1,099	-31.7%
159	Casa Grande, AZ Estimated	1,097	-7%
160	DeLand, FL Estimated	1,090	+36.6%
160	Peoria, AZ Estimated	1,090	+33.4%
162	Fuquay-Varina, NC Estimated	1,089	-48.9%
163	Fort Mill, SC Estimated	1,067	-9%
163	New Orleans, LA Estimated	1,067	+19.8%
163	Scottsdale, AZ Estimated	1,067	+33.5%
166	Moreno Valley, CA Estimated	1,065	+243.5%
167	Corpus Christi, TX Estimated	1,064	-2.9%
168	Gallatin, TN Estimated	1,058	+1.8%
169	Wendell, NC Estimated	1,054	+12%
170	Apache Junction, AZ Estimated	1,039	+493.7%
171	Idaho Falls, ID Estimated	1,031	+172%
172	Irvine, CA Estimated	1,029	-31%
173	Bozeman, MT Estimated	1,024	-15.5%
174	West Melbourne, FL Estimated	1,023	+856.1%
175	Pflugerville, TX Estimated	1,021	+32.1%
176	Greenville, NC Estimated	1,014	+87.1%
177	Jeffersonville, IN Estimated	1,011	+245.1%
178	Fort Collins, CO Estimated	1,003	+25.1%
179	Menifee, CA Estimated	1,000	+10.6%
180	Lakeland, FL Estimated	998	+14.8%
181	Carmel, IN Estimated	994	-3.5%
182	St. George, UT Estimated	989	-34.3%
183	Fayetteville, AR Estimated	986	-5.4%
184	Oakdale, MN Estimated	981	+200.9%
185	Loveland, CO Estimated	969	-8.4%
186	Santa Clarita, CA Estimated	966	+347.2%
187	Spokane Valley, WA Estimated	949	-9.4%
188	Riverside, CA Estimated	947	+126%
189	Little Rock, AR Estimated	933	-8.6%
190	Little Elm, TX Estimated	928	-28.1%
191	Santa Fe, NM Estimated	926	+56.9%
191	West New York, NJ Estimated	926	+97%
193	West Lafayette, IN Estimated	923	+251%
194	Warner Robins, GA Estimated	920	-47.2%
195	Holly Springs, NC Estimated	918	+88.1%
196	Noblesville, IN Estimated	901	-15.2%
196	Rockledge, FL Estimated	901	+119.8%
198	Santa Clara, CA Estimated	898	-64.7%
199	Fate, TX Estimated	892	+83.5%
200	Eau Claire, WI Estimated	885	+65.4%
201	Lewisville, TX Estimated	881	-35.8%
202	Prosper, TX Estimated	877	-40.5%
203	Tulsa, OK Estimated	876	+6.7%
204	Flagstaff, AZ Estimated	874	+90%
204	Sugar Hill, GA Estimated	874	+271.9%
206	Commerce City, CO Estimated	869	-2.1%
207	Palm Desert, CA Estimated	865	+110%
208	Midlothian, TX Estimated	862	+12.8%
209	Pasco, WA Estimated	858	+48.4%
210	Anaheim, CA Estimated	851	+26.6%
211	Burlington, NC Estimated	845	+94.7%
211	Monroe, NC Estimated	845	+29%
213	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	843	-18.5%
214	League City, TX Estimated	842	+155.2%
215	Greenwood, IN Estimated	836	+88.3%
215	Longmont, CO Estimated	836	+7.2%
217	St. Peters, MO Estimated	830	+38.8%
218	Medford, OR Estimated	828	+167.1%
219	Crestview, FL Estimated	826	+68.9%
219	Overland Park, KS Estimated	826	+74.6%
221	Brownsville, TX Estimated	824	-29.6%
222	LaGrange, GA Estimated	819	+120.2%
223	Jonesboro, AR Estimated	809	-3.1%
224	Cleveland, OH Estimated	805	+54.5%
224	Midland, TX Estimated	805	+35.8%
226	Carrollton, TX Estimated	803	+369.6%
227	Bellevue, WA Estimated	802	+77.4%
227	Melissa, TX Estimated	802	-45.6%
229	Eagle Mountain, UT Estimated	797	-16.5%
230	Rochester, MN Estimated	792	-26.7%
231	Pembroke Pines, FL Estimated	791	+683.2%
232	Bowling Green, KY Estimated	788	-17%
233	Plant City, FL Estimated	787	+213.5%
234	American Fork, UT Estimated	785	+23.2%
235	Gainesville, FL Estimated	780	-40.4%
235	Iowa Colony, TX Estimated	780	+24.4%
237	Star, ID Estimated	778	+2.2%
238	Washington, UT Estimated	773	+12.4%
239	Erie, CO Estimated	772	-14.9%
240	Marysville, WA Estimated	768	+109.8%
241	San Marcos, CA Estimated	766	+46.5%
242	Altamonte Springs, FL Estimated	760	+37,900%
242	Chandler, AZ Estimated	760	+132.4%
244	Thornton, CO Estimated	758	-13.4%
245	Cleburne, TX Estimated	756	-15%
246	Olathe, KS Estimated	749	-36.1%
247	College Station, TX Estimated	741	+7.5%
248	Chapel Hill, NC Estimated	739	+269.5%
249	Niceville, FL Estimated	737	+388.1%
250	Rogers, AR Estimated	733	-11.5%

Showing the top 250 of 3036. 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. 51 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2023 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/ne2023a.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. (2024). 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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2023a.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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 24 Apr. 2024, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2023a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2024. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2023a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2024) 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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2023a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_us_cities_by_housing_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2023a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2023. 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/ne2023a.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, 2023
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/04/24
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2023a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/us-cities?period=2023.
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/ne2023a.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 31,965 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

York, PA, with 0 in 2023.

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. 51 cities have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.