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 2020, at 5,726. Snoqualmie, WA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 129 and the figure for Washington was 43,881. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest5,726Seattle, WA
Lowest0Snoqualmie, WA
Median12991 cities
Washington43,881History

Top 40 cities, 2020

Seattle, WA: 5,726 countSeattle, WA5,726Redmond, WA: 2,005 countRedmond, WA2,005Vancouver, WA: 1,573 countVancouver, WA1,573Lynnwood, WA: 1,116 countLynnwood, WA1,116Spokane Valley, WA: 1,110 countSpokane Valley, WA1,110Tacoma, WA: 932 countTacoma, WA932Ridgefield, WA: 674 countRidgefield, WA674Bellingham, WA: 656 countBellingham, WA656Kirkland, WA: 576 countKirkland, WA576Richland, WA: 572 countRichland, WA572Everett, WA: 560 countEverett, WA560Spokane, WA: 539 countSpokane, WA539Pasco, WA: 525 countPasco, WA525Marysville, WA: 423 countMarysville, WA423Kent, WA: 377 countKent, WA377Bremerton, WA: 374 countBremerton, WA374Lake Stevens, WA: 351 countLake Stevens, WA351Camas, WA: 337 countCamas, WA337Bellevue, WA: 333 countBellevue, WA333Kennewick, WA: 326 countKennewick, WA326Lacey, WA: 315 countLacey, WA315Renton, WA: 263 countRenton, WA263Port Orchard, WA: 259 countPort Orchard, WA259Edmonds, WA: 234 countEdmonds, WA234West Richland, WA: 228 countWest Richland, WA228Des Moines, WA: 222 countDes Moines, WA222Maple Valley, WA: 210 countMaple Valley, WA210Burlington, WA: 207 countBurlington, WA207Yakima, WA: 203 countYakima, WA203Battle Ground, WA: 196 countBattle Ground, WA196Olympia, WA: 196 countOlympia, WA196Bothell, WA: 194 countBothell, WA194Mountlake Terrace, WA: 193 countMountlake Terrace, WA193Wenatchee, WA: 193 countWenatchee, WA193Tumwater, WA: 185 countTumwater, WA185Shoreline, WA: 182 countShoreline, WA182Sammamish, WA: 172 countSammamish, WA172Liberty Lake, WA: 167 countLiberty Lake, WA167Ferndale, WA: 166 countFerndale, WA166Lakewood, WA: 162 countLakewood, WA162Seattle, WA: 5,726 countSeattle, WA5,726Redmond, WA: 2,005 countRedmond, WA2,005Vancouver, WA: 1,573 countVancouver, WA1,573Lynnwood, WA: 1,116 countLynnwood, WA1,116Spokane Valley, WA: 1,110 countSpokane Valley, WA1,110Tacoma, WA: 932 countTacoma, WA932Ridgefield, WA: 674 countRidgefield, WA674Bellingham, WA: 656 countBellingham, WA656Kirkland, WA: 576 countKirkland, WA576Richland, WA: 572 countRichland, WA572Everett, WA: 560 countEverett, WA560Spokane, WA: 539 countSpokane, WA539Pasco, WA: 525 countPasco, WA525Marysville, WA: 423 countMarysville, WA423Kent, WA: 377 countKent, WA377Bremerton, WA: 374 countBremerton, WA374Lake Stevens, WA: 351 countLake Stevens, WA351Camas, WA: 337 countCamas, WA337Bellevue, WA: 333 countBellevue, WA333Kennewick, WA: 326 countKennewick, WA326Lacey, WA: 315 countLacey, WA315Renton, WA: 263 countRenton, WA263Port Orchard, WA: 259 countPort Orchard, WA259Edmonds, WA: 234 countEdmonds, WA234West Richland, WA: 228 countWest Richland, WA228Des Moines, WA: 222 countDes Moines, WA222Maple Valley, WA: 210 countMaple Valley, WA210Burlington, WA: 207 countBurlington, WA207Yakima, WA: 203 countYakima, WA203Battle Ground, WA: 196 countBattle Ground, WA196Olympia, WA: 196 countOlympia, WA196Bothell, WA: 194 countBothell, WA194Mountlake Terrace, WA: 193 countMountlake Terrace, WA193Wenatchee, WA: 193 countWenatchee, WA193Tumwater, WA: 185 countTumwater, WA185Shoreline, WA: 182 countShoreline, WA182Sammamish, WA: 172 countSammamish, WA172Liberty Lake, WA: 167 countLiberty Lake, WA167Ferndale, WA: 166 countFerndale, WA166Lakewood, WA: 162 countLakewood, WA162
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2020
count		Change on 2019
1Seattle, WA Estimated5,726-46.9%
2Redmond, WA Estimated2,005+340.7%
3Vancouver, WA Estimated1,573+14.7%
4Lynnwood, WA Estimated1,116+3,620%
5Spokane Valley, WA Estimated1,110+15.3%
6Tacoma, WA Estimated932-13.4%
7Ridgefield, WA Estimated674-14%
8Bellingham, WA Estimated656-38.8%
9Kirkland, WA Estimated576-58.4%
10Richland, WA Estimated572-24.7%
11Everett, WA Estimated560-22.5%
12Spokane, WA Estimated539+28%
13Pasco, WA Estimated525+4.2%
14Marysville, WA Estimated423-15.7%
15Kent, WA Estimated377-3.1%
16Bremerton, WA Estimated374+1.9%
17Lake Stevens, WA Estimated351+11.4%
18Camas, WA Estimated337-47.6%
19Bellevue, WA Estimated333-17.6%
20Kennewick, WA Estimated326-8.4%
21Lacey, WA Estimated315-54%
22Renton, WA Estimated263+56.5%
23Port Orchard, WA Estimated259+164.3%
24Edmonds, WA Estimated234+358.8%
25West Richland, WA Estimated228+32.6%
26Des Moines, WA Estimated222+221.7%
27Maple Valley, WA Estimated210+15.4%
28Burlington, WA Estimated207+75.4%
29Yakima, WA Estimated203-65%
30Battle Ground, WA Estimated196-9.7%
30Olympia, WA Estimated196-51.1%
32Bothell, WA Estimated194+16.2%
33Mountlake Terrace, WA Estimated193+543.3%
33Wenatchee, WA Estimated193+232.8%
35Tumwater, WA Estimated185+29.4%
36Shoreline, WA Estimated182-68.3%
37Sammamish, WA Estimated172-1.7%
38Liberty Lake, WA Estimated167-26.4%
39Ferndale, WA Estimated166+23.9%
40Lakewood, WA Estimated162+295.1%
41Enumclaw, WA Estimated158-11.7%
42Edgewood, WA Estimated154+3.4%
43Arlington, WA Estimated141-42.9%
44Lynden, WA Estimated134-1.5%
44University Place, WA Estimated134+100%
46Tukwila, WA Estimated129+545%
47Mill Creek, WA Estimated128n/a
48Moses Lake, WA Estimated126-8.7%
49Gig Harbor, WA Estimated120+36.4%
50Monroe, WA Estimated119-64.7%
51Covington, WA Estimated118-37.6%
52Oak Harbor, WA Estimated111+428.6%
53Anacortes, WA Estimated108+63.6%
54Issaquah, WA Estimated103-48.2%
55Puyallup, WA Estimated102-17.1%
56Woodinville, WA Estimated100-87.7%
57Bonney Lake, WA Estimated98-81.3%
58Mount Vernon, WA Estimated91+5.8%
59Mercer Island, WA Estimated90+7.1%
60Airway Heights, WA Estimated87+55.4%
61Bainbridge Island, WA Estimated86-8.5%
62Auburn, WA Estimated83+260.9%
63Ellensburg, WA Estimated76+49%
64Shelton, WA Estimated71+16.4%
65Burien, WA Estimated61+15.1%
66Centralia, WA Estimated59+40.5%
67Washougal, WA Estimated58-3.3%
68Sumner, WA Estimated52-18.8%
69Poulsbo, WA Estimated50+6.4%
70Pullman, WA Estimated49-87.4%
70Walla Walla, WA Estimated49-22.2%
72Snohomish, WA Estimated44-60%
73Sedro-Woolley, WA Estimated40+8.1%
74Kenmore, WA Estimated39-7.1%
75Newcastle, WA Estimated36-87.1%
76Federal Way, WA Estimated35-86.8%
77Port Angeles, WA Estimated33-42.1%
77Port Townsend, WA Estimated33-35.3%
79Grandview, WA Estimated30+150%
80Cheney, WA Estimated26-88.1%
81SeaTac, WA Estimated25+78.6%
81Sunnyside, WA Estimated25-63.2%
83Yelm, WA Estimated21-52.3%
84Aberdeen, WA Estimated17+750%
84Longview, WA Estimated17-65.3%
86Kelso, WA Estimated15+7.1%
87East Wenatchee, WA Estimated14+40%
88Mukilteo, WA Estimated13+160%
89Fife, WA Estimated11-80.7%
90Lake Forest Park, WA Estimated80%
91Snoqualmie, 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/we2020a.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 (Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2020a.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, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 3 May 2021, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2020a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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. Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2020a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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, Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2020a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-cities?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_washington_by_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: Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2020}},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2020a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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/West\%20Region/we2020a.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, 2020
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/05/03
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2020a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-cities?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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/West%20Region/we2020a.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 5,726 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Snoqualmie, WA, 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.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Washington: more rankings