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

Cities in Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits

Madison, WI had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 92 cities in 2011, at 621. South Milwaukee, WI had the lowest, at 0. The median was 30 and the figure for Wisconsin was 9,939. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest621Madison, WI
Lowest0South Milwaukee, WI
Median3092 cities
Wisconsin9,939History

Top 40 cities, 2011

Madison, WI: 621 countMadison, WI621Wauwatosa, WI: 235 countWauwatosa, WI235Milwaukee, WI: 210 countMilwaukee, WI210Oshkosh, WI: 195 countOshkosh, WI195Howard, WI: 182 countHoward, WI182Appleton, WI: 171 countAppleton, WI171Kenosha, WI: 143 countKenosha, WI143Hobart, WI: 108 countHobart, WI108Middleton, WI: 108 countMiddleton, WI108Eau Claire, WI: 106 countEau Claire, WI106Sun Prairie, WI: 105 countSun Prairie, WI105Franklin, WI: 94 countFranklin, WI94Verona, WI: 94 countVerona, WI94Wausau, WI: 93 countWausau, WI93Greendale, WI: 91 countGreendale, WI91Kaukauna, WI: 78 countKaukauna, WI78West Bend, WI: 74 countWest Bend, WI74Onalaska, WI: 73 countOnalaska, WI73Hudson, WI: 72 countHudson, WI72Pewaukee, WI: 71 countPewaukee, WI71Fond du Lac, WI: 68 countFond du Lac, WI68La Crosse, WI: 64 countLa Crosse, WI64Waukesha, WI: 62 countWaukesha, WI62Greenfield, WI: 60 countGreenfield, WI60Platteville, WI: 57 countPlatteville, WI57Reedsburg, WI: 57 countReedsburg, WI57Green Bay, WI: 56 countGreen Bay, WI56Neenah, WI: 54 countNeenah, WI54Pleasant Prairie, WI: 54 countPleasant Prairie, WI54Waunakee, WI: 54 countWaunakee, WI54West Allis, WI: 52 countWest Allis, WI52Beaver Dam, WI: 51 countBeaver Dam, WI51Oak Creek, WI: 48 countOak Creek, WI48River Falls, WI: 48 countRiver Falls, WI48Fitchburg, WI: 47 countFitchburg, WI47Plover, WI: 46 countPlover, WI46Muskego, WI: 42 countMuskego, WI42Holmen, WI: 36 countHolmen, WI36De Pere, WI: 34 countDe Pere, WI34Manitowoc, WI: 34 countManitowoc, WI34Madison, WI: 621 countMadison, WI621Wauwatosa, WI: 235 countWauwatosa, WI235Milwaukee, WI: 210 countMilwaukee, WI210Oshkosh, WI: 195 countOshkosh, WI195Howard, WI: 182 countHoward, WI182Appleton, WI: 171 countAppleton, WI171Kenosha, WI: 143 countKenosha, WI143Hobart, WI: 108 countHobart, WI108Middleton, WI: 108 countMiddleton, WI108Eau Claire, WI: 106 countEau Claire, WI106Sun Prairie, WI: 105 countSun Prairie, WI105Franklin, WI: 94 countFranklin, WI94Verona, WI: 94 countVerona, WI94Wausau, WI: 93 countWausau, WI93Greendale, WI: 91 countGreendale, WI91Kaukauna, WI: 78 countKaukauna, WI78West Bend, WI: 74 countWest Bend, WI74Onalaska, WI: 73 countOnalaska, WI73Hudson, WI: 72 countHudson, WI72Pewaukee, WI: 71 countPewaukee, WI71Fond du Lac, WI: 68 countFond du Lac, WI68La Crosse, WI: 64 countLa Crosse, WI64Waukesha, WI: 62 countWaukesha, WI62Greenfield, WI: 60 countGreenfield, WI60Platteville, WI: 57 countPlatteville, WI57Reedsburg, WI: 57 countReedsburg, WI57Green Bay, WI: 56 countGreen Bay, WI56Neenah, WI: 54 countNeenah, WI54Pleasant Prairie, WI: 54 countPleasant Prairie, WI54Waunakee, WI: 54 countWaunakee, WI54West Allis, WI: 52 countWest Allis, WI52Beaver Dam, WI: 51 countBeaver Dam, WI51Oak Creek, WI: 48 countOak Creek, WI48River Falls, WI: 48 countRiver Falls, WI48Fitchburg, WI: 47 countFitchburg, WI47Plover, WI: 46 countPlover, WI46Muskego, WI: 42 countMuskego, WI42Holmen, WI: 36 countHolmen, WI36De Pere, WI: 34 countDe Pere, WI34Manitowoc, WI: 34 countManitowoc, WI34
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2011
count		Change on 2010
1Madison, WI Estimated621+18.1%
2Wauwatosa, WI Estimated235n/a
3Milwaukee, WI Estimated210-69.7%
4Oshkosh, WI Estimated195+59.8%
5Howard, WI Estimated182-24.8%
6Appleton, WI Estimated171+119.2%
7Kenosha, WI Estimated143-7.1%
8Hobart, WI Estimated108+6.9%
8Middleton, WI Estimated108+163.4%
10Eau Claire, WI Estimated106-15.2%
11Sun Prairie, WI Estimated105+114.3%
12Franklin, WI Estimated94-44%
12Verona, WI Estimated94+64.9%
14Wausau, WI Estimated93+138.5%
15Greendale, WI Estimated91n/a
16Kaukauna, WI Estimated78+81.4%
17West Bend, WI Estimated74-50.7%
18Onalaska, WI Estimated73-24%
19Hudson, WI Estimated72+46.9%
20Pewaukee, WI Estimated71-30.4%
21Fond du Lac, WI Estimated68-8.1%
22La Crosse, WI Estimated64+93.9%
23Waukesha, WI Estimated62+63.2%
24Greenfield, WI Estimated60+252.9%
25Platteville, WI Estimated57+200%
25Reedsburg, WI Estimated57+280%
27Green Bay, WI Estimated56-75.1%
28Neenah, WI Estimated54+17.4%
28Pleasant Prairie, WI Estimated54+8%
28Waunakee, WI Estimated54+35%
31West Allis, WI Estimated52+1,633.3%
32Beaver Dam, WI Estimated51-32.9%
33Oak Creek, WI Estimated48+11.6%
33River Falls, WI Estimated48-44.8%
35Fitchburg, WI Estimated47-4.1%
36Plover, WI Estimated46+283.3%
37Muskego, WI Estimated42-17.6%
38Holmen, WI Estimated36-26.5%
39De Pere, WI Estimated34-57%
39Manitowoc, WI Estimated34+9.7%
39Stoughton, WI Estimated34+325%
42Menomonee Falls, WI Estimated33-17.5%
42Oconomowoc, WI Estimated33+43.5%
42Port Washington, WI Estimated33-2.9%
45Janesville, WI Estimated31-36.7%
46Suamico, WI Estimated30-41.2%
47Mount Pleasant, WI Estimated29-23.7%
48Mequon, WI Estimated27+8%
49DeForest, WI Estimated26+30%
50Whitewater, WI Estimated25+92.3%
51Oregon, WI Estimated24-7.7%
52Germantown, WI Estimated22+10%
53Menasha, WI Estimated21-16%
53Stevens Point, WI Estimated21-40%
55Ashwaubenon, WI Estimated20-16.7%
56Brookfield, WI Estimated170%
57Bellevue, WI Estimated16-65.2%
57New Berlin, WI Estimated16-40.7%
57New Richmond, WI Estimated16+6.7%
60Sussex, WI Estimated15-37.5%
61Caledonia, WI Estimated14-54.8%
62Cedarburg, WI Estimated130%
62Weston, WI Estimated13-55.2%
64Richfield, WI Estimated11-54.2%
65Burlington, WI Estimated9-43.8%
65Hartland, WI Estimated9+50%
65Marshfield, WI Estimated9-25%
68Elkhorn, WI Estimated8+60%
68Menomonie, WI Estimated8+100%
68Racine, WI Estimated8-89.5%
68Superior, WI Estimated8-27.3%
72Grafton, WI Estimated7-22.2%
72Hartford, WI Estimated7-70.8%
72Wisconsin Rapids, WI Estimated7-58.8%
75Sheboygan, WI Estimated6-14.3%
76Fort Atkinson, WI Estimated5-16.7%
77Baraboo, WI Estimated4-33.3%
77Chippewa Falls, WI Estimated4-42.9%
79Brown Deer, WI Estimated2-71.4%
79Little Chute, WI Estimated2-33.3%
79Two Rivers, WI Estimated2-33.3%
79Watertown, WI Estimated2-97%
79Waupun, WI Estimated2-50%
84Glendale, WI Estimated1n/a
84Monroe, WI Estimated1-83.3%
84Whitefish Bay, WI Estimated1n/a
87Allouez, WI Estimated0-100%
87Beloit, WI Estimated0n/a
87Cudahy, WI Estimated0n/a
87Marinette, WI Estimated0-100%
87Shorewood, WI Estimated0n/a
87South Milwaukee, WI 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. 4 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2011 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/Midwest%20Region/mw2011a.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. (2016). Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation (Cities in Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits, 2011) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2011a.txt

MLA 9

Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits, 2011. U.S. Census Bureau, 30 Sept. 2016, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2011a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2011. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2016. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. Cities in Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits, 2011. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2011a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2011.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2016) Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits, 2011 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2011a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2011 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_wisconsin_by_2011,
  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 Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits, 2011}},
  year = {2016},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2011a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2011. 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/Midwest\%20Region/mw2011a.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 Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits, 2011
PY  - 2016
DA  - 2016/09/30
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2011a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2011
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2011.
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/Midwest%20Region/mw2011a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Madison, WI, with 621 in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

South Milwaukee, WI, with 0 in 2011.

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. 4 cities have no value for 2011 and are not ranked.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Wisconsin: more rankings