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 2023, at 5,299. Snoqualmie, WA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 88 and the figure for Washington was 37,097. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest5,299Seattle, WA
Lowest0Snoqualmie, WA
Median8891 cities
Washington37,097History

Top 40 cities, 2023

Seattle, WA: 5,299 countSeattle, WA5,299Shoreline, WA: 1,428 countShoreline, WA1,428Vancouver, WA: 1,359 countVancouver, WA1,359Spokane, WA: 1,295 countSpokane, WA1,295Spokane Valley, WA: 949 countSpokane Valley, WA949Pasco, WA: 858 countPasco, WA858Bellevue, WA: 802 countBellevue, WA802Marysville, WA: 768 countMarysville, WA768Tacoma, WA: 692 countTacoma, WA692Port Orchard, WA: 521 countPort Orchard, WA521Kirkland, WA: 480 countKirkland, WA480Richland, WA: 436 countRichland, WA436Kennewick, WA: 406 countKennewick, WA406Bellingham, WA: 402 countBellingham, WA402Lacey, WA: 371 countLacey, WA371Yakima, WA: 319 countYakima, WA319Tukwila, WA: 315 countTukwila, WA315Tumwater, WA: 298 countTumwater, WA298Bremerton, WA: 291 countBremerton, WA291Burien, WA: 281 countBurien, WA281Ridgefield, WA: 244 countRidgefield, WA244Poulsbo, WA: 242 countPoulsbo, WA242Burlington, WA: 230 countBurlington, WA230Woodinville, WA: 230 countWoodinville, WA230Battle Ground, WA: 220 countBattle Ground, WA220Lynnwood, WA: 219 countLynnwood, WA219Pullman, WA: 218 countPullman, WA218Redmond, WA: 217 countRedmond, WA217Olympia, WA: 191 countOlympia, WA191Bothell, WA: 179 countBothell, WA179Everett, WA: 166 countEverett, WA166Liberty Lake, WA: 159 countLiberty Lake, WA159Lake Stevens, WA: 158 countLake Stevens, WA158Washougal, WA: 156 countWashougal, WA156Camas, WA: 154 countCamas, WA154Yelm, WA: 148 countYelm, WA148SeaTac, WA: 147 countSeaTac, WA147Moses Lake, WA: 146 countMoses Lake, WA146Bainbridge Island, WA: 145 countBainbridge Island, WA145West Richland, WA: 143 countWest Richland, WA143Seattle, WA: 5,299 countSeattle, WA5,299Shoreline, WA: 1,428 countShoreline, WA1,428Vancouver, WA: 1,359 countVancouver, WA1,359Spokane, WA: 1,295 countSpokane, WA1,295Spokane Valley, WA: 949 countSpokane Valley, WA949Pasco, WA: 858 countPasco, WA858Bellevue, WA: 802 countBellevue, WA802Marysville, WA: 768 countMarysville, WA768Tacoma, WA: 692 countTacoma, WA692Port Orchard, WA: 521 countPort Orchard, WA521Kirkland, WA: 480 countKirkland, WA480Richland, WA: 436 countRichland, WA436Kennewick, WA: 406 countKennewick, WA406Bellingham, WA: 402 countBellingham, WA402Lacey, WA: 371 countLacey, WA371Yakima, WA: 319 countYakima, WA319Tukwila, WA: 315 countTukwila, WA315Tumwater, WA: 298 countTumwater, WA298Bremerton, WA: 291 countBremerton, WA291Burien, WA: 281 countBurien, WA281Ridgefield, WA: 244 countRidgefield, WA244Poulsbo, WA: 242 countPoulsbo, WA242Burlington, WA: 230 countBurlington, WA230Woodinville, WA: 230 countWoodinville, WA230Battle Ground, WA: 220 countBattle Ground, WA220Lynnwood, WA: 219 countLynnwood, WA219Pullman, WA: 218 countPullman, WA218Redmond, WA: 217 countRedmond, WA217Olympia, WA: 191 countOlympia, WA191Bothell, WA: 179 countBothell, WA179Everett, WA: 166 countEverett, WA166Liberty Lake, WA: 159 countLiberty Lake, WA159Lake Stevens, WA: 158 countLake Stevens, WA158Washougal, WA: 156 countWashougal, WA156Camas, WA: 154 countCamas, WA154Yelm, WA: 148 countYelm, WA148SeaTac, WA: 147 countSeaTac, WA147Moses Lake, WA: 146 countMoses Lake, WA146Bainbridge Island, WA: 145 countBainbridge Island, WA145West Richland, WA: 143 countWest Richland, WA143
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023
count		Change on 2022
1Seattle, WA Estimated5,299-41.1%
2Shoreline, WA Estimated1,428+27.4%
3Vancouver, WA Estimated1,359-27.8%
4Spokane, WA Estimated1,295+124%
5Spokane Valley, WA Estimated949-9.4%
6Pasco, WA Estimated858+48.4%
7Bellevue, WA Estimated802+77.4%
8Marysville, WA Estimated768+109.8%
9Tacoma, WA Estimated692-55.1%
10Port Orchard, WA Estimated521+7.6%
11Kirkland, WA Estimated480-13%
12Richland, WA Estimated436-11%
13Kennewick, WA Estimated406+50.4%
14Bellingham, WA Estimated402-51.7%
15Lacey, WA Estimated371+16.3%
16Yakima, WA Estimated319-8.6%
17Tukwila, WA Estimated315+1,160%
18Tumwater, WA Estimated298+62.8%
19Bremerton, WA Estimated291-14.9%
20Burien, WA Estimated281+3.3%
21Ridgefield, WA Estimated244-32.6%
22Poulsbo, WA Estimated242+74.1%
23Burlington, WA Estimated230-12.2%
23Woodinville, WA Estimated230-26.5%
25Battle Ground, WA Estimated220-35.7%
26Lynnwood, WA Estimated219-44.1%
27Pullman, WA Estimated218-11.4%
28Redmond, WA Estimated217-89.9%
29Olympia, WA Estimated191-43.5%
30Bothell, WA Estimated179-85.8%
31Everett, WA Estimated166+90.8%
32Liberty Lake, WA Estimated159-47.2%
33Lake Stevens, WA Estimated158-48%
34Washougal, WA Estimated156+64.2%
35Camas, WA Estimated154+102.6%
36Yelm, WA Estimated148+87.3%
37SeaTac, WA Estimated147-79%
38Moses Lake, WA Estimated146-16.6%
39Bainbridge Island, WA Estimated145+178.8%
40West Richland, WA Estimated143-45%
41Walla Walla, WA Estimated136+25.9%
42Kent, WA Estimated126-65.2%
43Sedro-Woolley, WA Estimated105+87.5%
44Grandview, WA Estimated103+123.9%
45Edmonds, WA Estimated91-38.5%
46Kenmore, WA Estimated88-14.6%
46Monroe, WA Estimated88+44.3%
48Airway Heights, WA Estimated82-24.8%
49Lakewood, WA Estimated80-49%
50Ellensburg, WA Estimated71-40.3%
51Federal Way, WA Estimated68-85.7%
52Port Townsend, WA Estimated65-49.6%
53Port Angeles, WA Estimated58+38.1%
54Lynden, WA Estimated56-74%
55Renton, WA Estimated55-93.3%
56Mountlake Terrace, WA Estimated52+48.6%
57Edgewood, WA Estimated51-76.5%
58Ferndale, WA Estimated49-57.8%
59East Wenatchee, WA Estimated48+108.7%
60Newcastle, WA Estimated46+170.6%
60Sammamish, WA Estimated46-33.3%
62Sunnyside, WA Estimated44+10%
63Bonney Lake, WA Estimated40-35.5%
64Enumclaw, WA Estimated38-43.3%
65Anacortes, WA Estimated35-59.8%
66Issaquah, WA Estimated33-59.3%
67Arlington, WA Estimated32-84.8%
68Longview, WA Estimated30-78.7%
69Covington, WA Estimated27+35%
70Maple Valley, WA Estimated26-88.2%
70Snohomish, WA Estimated26-56.7%
72Kelso, WA Estimated25+316.7%
73Wenatchee, WA Estimated24-91.4%
74Mercer Island, WA Estimated23-11.5%
75Oak Harbor, WA Estimated22-31.3%
76Cheney, WA Estimated17+41.7%
77Puyallup, WA Estimated16-75.8%
78Des Moines, WA Estimated15+150%
78Mount Vernon, WA Estimated15-16.7%
80University Place, WA Estimated13-96.1%
81Gig Harbor, WA Estimated12-90.4%
82Lake Forest Park, WA Estimated11-15.4%
83Centralia, WA Estimated10-85.1%
84Aberdeen, WA Estimated9+125%
85Auburn, WA Estimated8-79.5%
86Mukilteo, WA Estimated7+133.3%
86Shelton, WA Estimated7-41.7%
88Sumner, WA Estimated1-99.4%
89Fife, WA Estimated0n/a
89Mill Creek, WA Estimated0-100%
89Snoqualmie, 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/we2023a.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 (Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2023a.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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 24 Apr. 2024, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2023a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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. Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2023a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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, Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2023a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_washington_by_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: Cities in Washington by housing units authorized by building permits, 2023}},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2023a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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/West\%20Region/we2023a.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, 2023
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/04/24
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2023a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/washington-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/West%20Region/we2023a.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 5,299 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Snoqualmie, WA, 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.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Washington: more rankings