Data / Rankings / Housing units authorized by building permits / Cities in Washington

Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits

Seattle, WA had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 91 cities in 2018, at 7,918. Mill Creek, WA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 154 and the figure for Washington was 47,746. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest7,918Seattle, WA
Lowest0Mill Creek, WA
Median15491 cities
Washington47,746History

Top 40 cities, 2018

Seattle, WA: 7,918 countSeattle, WA7,918Kirkland, WA: 2,644 countKirkland, WA2,644Redmond, WA: 2,193 countRedmond, WA2,193Vancouver, WA: 1,114 countVancouver, WA1,114Tacoma, WA: 1,033 countTacoma, WA1,033Bellevue, WA: 924 countBellevue, WA924Spokane, WA: 855 countSpokane, WA855Lacey, WA: 844 countLacey, WA844Bellingham, WA: 718 countBellingham, WA718Kennewick, WA: 679 countKennewick, WA679Edgewood, WA: 577 countEdgewood, WA577Spokane Valley, WA: 542 countSpokane Valley, WA542Pasco, WA: 485 countPasco, WA485Bothell, WA: 482 countBothell, WA482Kent, WA: 400 countKent, WA400Lynnwood, WA: 364 countLynnwood, WA364Shoreline, WA: 364 countShoreline, WA364Marysville, WA: 345 countMarysville, WA345Richland, WA: 331 countRichland, WA331Arlington, WA: 321 countArlington, WA321Ridgefield, WA: 314 countRidgefield, WA314Lakewood, WA: 311 countLakewood, WA311Sammamish, WA: 282 countSammamish, WA282Puyallup, WA: 277 countPuyallup, WA277Camas, WA: 270 countCamas, WA270Woodinville, WA: 267 countWoodinville, WA267Renton, WA: 259 countRenton, WA259Bainbridge Island, WA: 254 countBainbridge Island, WA254Lake Stevens, WA: 253 countLake Stevens, WA253Yakima, WA: 251 countYakima, WA251Everett, WA: 245 countEverett, WA245Issaquah, WA: 243 countIssaquah, WA243Newcastle, WA: 239 countNewcastle, WA239Pullman, WA: 234 countPullman, WA234Ellensburg, WA: 230 countEllensburg, WA230Wenatchee, WA: 192 countWenatchee, WA192Bremerton, WA: 190 countBremerton, WA190Airway Heights, WA: 184 countAirway Heights, WA184Enumclaw, WA: 184 countEnumclaw, WA184Lynden, WA: 183 countLynden, WA183Seattle, WA: 7,918 countSeattle, WA7,918Kirkland, WA: 2,644 countKirkland, WA2,644Redmond, WA: 2,193 countRedmond, WA2,193Vancouver, WA: 1,114 countVancouver, WA1,114Tacoma, WA: 1,033 countTacoma, WA1,033Bellevue, WA: 924 countBellevue, WA924Spokane, WA: 855 countSpokane, WA855Lacey, WA: 844 countLacey, WA844Bellingham, WA: 718 countBellingham, WA718Kennewick, WA: 679 countKennewick, WA679Edgewood, WA: 577 countEdgewood, WA577Spokane Valley, WA: 542 countSpokane Valley, WA542Pasco, WA: 485 countPasco, WA485Bothell, WA: 482 countBothell, WA482Kent, WA: 400 countKent, WA400Lynnwood, WA: 364 countLynnwood, WA364Shoreline, WA: 364 countShoreline, WA364Marysville, WA: 345 countMarysville, WA345Richland, WA: 331 countRichland, WA331Arlington, WA: 321 countArlington, WA321Ridgefield, WA: 314 countRidgefield, WA314Lakewood, WA: 311 countLakewood, WA311Sammamish, WA: 282 countSammamish, WA282Puyallup, WA: 277 countPuyallup, WA277Camas, WA: 270 countCamas, WA270Woodinville, WA: 267 countWoodinville, WA267Renton, WA: 259 countRenton, WA259Bainbridge Island, WA: 254 countBainbridge Island, WA254Lake Stevens, WA: 253 countLake Stevens, WA253Yakima, WA: 251 countYakima, WA251Everett, WA: 245 countEverett, WA245Issaquah, WA: 243 countIssaquah, WA243Newcastle, WA: 239 countNewcastle, WA239Pullman, WA: 234 countPullman, WA234Ellensburg, WA: 230 countEllensburg, WA230Wenatchee, WA: 192 countWenatchee, WA192Bremerton, WA: 190 countBremerton, WA190Airway Heights, WA: 184 countAirway Heights, WA184Enumclaw, WA: 184 countEnumclaw, WA184Lynden, WA: 183 countLynden, WA183
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2018
count		Change on 2017
1Seattle, WA Estimated7,918-19.9%
2Kirkland, WA Estimated2,644+657.6%
3Redmond, WA Estimated2,193+62.4%
4Vancouver, WA Estimated1,114-27.9%
5Tacoma, WA Estimated1,033-8.3%
6Bellevue, WA Estimated924-29.4%
7Spokane, WA Estimated855+2.8%
8Lacey, WA Estimated844+417.8%
9Bellingham, WA Estimated718+25.7%
10Kennewick, WA Estimated679+75.5%
11Edgewood, WA Estimated577+241.4%
12Spokane Valley, WA Estimated542-26.5%
13Pasco, WA Estimated485-12.9%
14Bothell, WA Estimated482-7.1%
15Kent, WA Estimated400+14%
16Lynnwood, WA Estimated364+746.5%
16Shoreline, WA Estimated364+78.4%
18Marysville, WA Estimated345+46.8%
19Richland, WA Estimated331-8.1%
20Arlington, WA Estimated321+62.1%
21Ridgefield, WA Estimated314+97.5%
22Lakewood, WA Estimated311+418.3%
23Sammamish, WA Estimated282-23.2%
24Puyallup, WA Estimated277-21.5%
25Camas, WA Estimated270+14.9%
26Woodinville, WA Estimated267-25.2%
27Renton, WA Estimated259+4%
28Bainbridge Island, WA Estimated254+133%
29Lake Stevens, WA Estimated253+49.7%
30Yakima, WA Estimated251+100.8%
31Everett, WA Estimated245-16.7%
32Issaquah, WA Estimated243-70.8%
33Newcastle, WA Estimated239+387.8%
34Pullman, WA Estimated234+8.3%
35Ellensburg, WA Estimated230-11.5%
36Wenatchee, WA Estimated192+178.3%
37Bremerton, WA Estimated190+69.6%
38Airway Heights, WA Estimated184-60.7%
38Enumclaw, WA Estimated184+493.5%
40Lynden, WA Estimated183+22%
41Monroe, WA Estimated174+11.5%
42Gig Harbor, WA Estimated172-30.4%
42Mount Vernon, WA Estimated172+8.2%
44University Place, WA Estimated166+38.3%
45Liberty Lake, WA Estimated160-47.7%
46Moses Lake, WA Estimated154-22.2%
47Battle Ground, WA Estimated153-6.1%
48Olympia, WA Estimated145+14.2%
48Tumwater, WA Estimated145-25.6%
50Poulsbo, WA Estimated135+33.7%
51Sumner, WA Estimated130+400%
52Anacortes, WA Estimated127+39.6%
53Ferndale, WA Estimated121-20.9%
54Des Moines, WA Estimated120-73.4%
55Maple Valley, WA Estimated118-73.4%
56Walla Walla, WA Estimated117+160%
57Port Orchard, WA Estimated113-26.1%
58Tukwila, WA Estimated102+121.7%
59Kenmore, WA Estimated99+33.8%
60Mercer Island, WA Estimated85+9%
61West Richland, WA Estimated83-12.6%
62Oak Harbor, WA Estimated68+94.3%
63Covington, WA Estimated65-23.5%
63Edmonds, WA Estimated65-64.7%
63Federal Way, WA Estimated65-12.2%
66Shelton, WA Estimated64+178.3%
67Bonney Lake, WA Estimated57+5.6%
68Centralia, WA Estimated53+35.9%
69Cheney, WA Estimated51-7.3%
70Auburn, WA Estimated50-64%
71Yelm, WA Estimated46-11.5%
72Burlington, WA Estimated44-59.6%
73Burien, WA Estimated41-29.3%
74SeaTac, WA Estimated39+116.7%
75Washougal, WA Estimated37-78.2%
76Port Townsend, WA Estimated32-39.6%
77Lake Forest Park, WA Estimated30-53.1%
77Port Angeles, WA Estimated30-28.6%
79Sunnyside, WA Estimated26+4%
80Mountlake Terrace, WA Estimated22+633.3%
81East Wenatchee, WA Estimated19+216.7%
82Longview, WA Estimated18-45.5%
82Mukilteo, WA Estimated18+500%
84Sedro-Woolley, WA Estimated17-66%
85Fife, WA Estimated15+114.3%
86Snohomish, WA Estimated13-48%
87Grandview, WA Estimated8+14.3%
88Kelso, WA Estimated6-45.5%
89Snoqualmie, WA Estimated5-93.8%
90Aberdeen, WA Estimated2-66.7%
91Mill Creek, WA Estimated0-100%

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. 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/West%20Region/we2018a.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 (Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2018a.txt

MLA 9

Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 20 June 2019, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2018a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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. Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2018a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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, Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2018a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-cities?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_washington_by_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: Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2018}},
  year = {2019},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2018a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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/West\%20Region/we2018a.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: Cities in Washington 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/West%20Region/we2018a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-cities?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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/West%20Region/we2018a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Seattle, WA, with 7,918 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Mill Creek, WA, 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.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Washington: more rankings