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 94 cities in 2024, at 2,812. Greendale, WI had the lowest, at 0. The median was 52 and the figure for Wisconsin was 23,826. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest2,812Madison, WI
Lowest0Greendale, WI
Median5294 cities
Wisconsin23,826History

Top 40 cities, 2024

Madison, WI: 2,812 countMadison, WI2,812Green Bay, WI: 476 countGreen Bay, WI476Menomonee Falls, WI: 461 countMenomonee Falls, WI461Middleton, WI: 448 countMiddleton, WI448DeForest, WI: 442 countDeForest, WI442Eau Claire, WI: 404 countEau Claire, WI404Fitchburg, WI: 403 countFitchburg, WI403Grafton, WI: 396 countGrafton, WI396Hobart, WI: 372 countHobart, WI372Janesville, WI: 302 countJanesville, WI302Hartland, WI: 281 countHartland, WI281Oshkosh, WI: 268 countOshkosh, WI268Sun Prairie, WI: 267 countSun Prairie, WI267West Allis, WI: 250 countWest Allis, WI250Onalaska, WI: 248 countOnalaska, WI248Brookfield, WI: 246 countBrookfield, WI246Milwaukee, WI: 236 countMilwaukee, WI236Glendale, WI: 234 countGlendale, WI234Reedsburg, WI: 218 countReedsburg, WI218Howard, WI: 184 countHoward, WI184Chippewa Falls, WI: 162 countChippewa Falls, WI162Baraboo, WI: 157 countBaraboo, WI157Brown Deer, WI: 157 countBrown Deer, WI157Oconomowoc, WI: 152 countOconomowoc, WI152De Pere, WI: 134 countDe Pere, WI134Oregon, WI: 134 countOregon, WI134Holmen, WI: 132 countHolmen, WI132Appleton, WI: 131 countAppleton, WI131Neenah, WI: 129 countNeenah, WI129Sussex, WI: 129 countSussex, WI129Waunakee, WI: 125 countWaunakee, WI125West Bend, WI: 125 countWest Bend, WI125Verona, WI: 118 countVerona, WI118Harrison, WI: 110 countHarrison, WI110River Falls, WI: 106 countRiver Falls, WI106Windsor, WI: 103 countWindsor, WI103Plover, WI: 96 countPlover, WI96New Richmond, WI: 89 countNew Richmond, WI89Kaukauna, WI: 85 countKaukauna, WI85Stevens Point, WI: 85 countStevens Point, WI85Madison, WI: 2,812 countMadison, WI2,812Green Bay, WI: 476 countGreen Bay, WI476Menomonee Falls, WI: 461 countMenomonee Falls, WI461Middleton, WI: 448 countMiddleton, WI448DeForest, WI: 442 countDeForest, WI442Eau Claire, WI: 404 countEau Claire, WI404Fitchburg, WI: 403 countFitchburg, WI403Grafton, WI: 396 countGrafton, WI396Hobart, WI: 372 countHobart, WI372Janesville, WI: 302 countJanesville, WI302Hartland, WI: 281 countHartland, WI281Oshkosh, WI: 268 countOshkosh, WI268Sun Prairie, WI: 267 countSun Prairie, WI267West Allis, WI: 250 countWest Allis, WI250Onalaska, WI: 248 countOnalaska, WI248Brookfield, WI: 246 countBrookfield, WI246Milwaukee, WI: 236 countMilwaukee, WI236Glendale, WI: 234 countGlendale, WI234Reedsburg, WI: 218 countReedsburg, WI218Howard, WI: 184 countHoward, WI184Chippewa Falls, WI: 162 countChippewa Falls, WI162Baraboo, WI: 157 countBaraboo, WI157Brown Deer, WI: 157 countBrown Deer, WI157Oconomowoc, WI: 152 countOconomowoc, WI152De Pere, WI: 134 countDe Pere, WI134Oregon, WI: 134 countOregon, WI134Holmen, WI: 132 countHolmen, WI132Appleton, WI: 131 countAppleton, WI131Neenah, WI: 129 countNeenah, WI129Sussex, WI: 129 countSussex, WI129Waunakee, WI: 125 countWaunakee, WI125West Bend, WI: 125 countWest Bend, WI125Verona, WI: 118 countVerona, WI118Harrison, WI: 110 countHarrison, WI110River Falls, WI: 106 countRiver Falls, WI106Windsor, WI: 103 countWindsor, WI103Plover, WI: 96 countPlover, WI96New Richmond, WI: 89 countNew Richmond, WI89Kaukauna, WI: 85 countKaukauna, WI85Stevens Point, WI: 85 countStevens Point, WI85
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024
count		Change on 2023
1Madison, WI Estimated2,812+7.3%
2Green Bay, WI Estimated476+1,186.5%
3Menomonee Falls, WI Estimated461+69.5%
4Middleton, WI Estimated448+11,100%
5DeForest, WI Estimated442+151.1%
6Eau Claire, WI Estimated404-54.4%
7Fitchburg, WI Estimated403-17.2%
8Grafton, WI Estimated396+421.1%
9Hobart, WI Estimated372+1,228.6%
10Janesville, WI Estimated302+268.3%
11Hartland, WI Estimated281+659.5%
12Oshkosh, WI Estimated268+116.1%
13Sun Prairie, WI Estimated267-40%
14West Allis, WI Estimated250+1.2%
15Onalaska, WI Estimated248+37%
16Brookfield, WI Estimated246+1,194.7%
17Milwaukee, WI Estimated236+143.3%
18Glendale, WI Estimated234-25%
19Reedsburg, WI Estimated218+505.6%
20Howard, WI Estimated184-4.7%
21Chippewa Falls, WI Estimated162+13.3%
22Baraboo, WI Estimated157+4%
22Brown Deer, WI Estimated157n/a
24Oconomowoc, WI Estimated152+23.6%
25De Pere, WI Estimated134+81.1%
25Oregon, WI Estimated134-3.6%
27Holmen, WI Estimated132+2.3%
28Appleton, WI Estimated131+33.7%
29Neenah, WI Estimated129+76.7%
29Sussex, WI Estimated129+3.2%
31Waunakee, WI Estimated125+9.6%
31West Bend, WI Estimated125+1,150%
33Verona, WI Estimated118-72%
34Harrison, WI Estimated110+34.1%
35River Falls, WI Estimated106-62%
36Windsor, WI Estimated103+14.4%
37Plover, WI Estimated96+84.6%
38New Richmond, WI Estimated89+32.8%
39Kaukauna, WI Estimated85+4.9%
39Stevens Point, WI Estimated85+157.6%
41Kenosha, WI Estimated81-28.3%
42Franklin, WI Estimated79-71.5%
43Wausau, WI Estimated74-57.5%
44Waukesha, WI Estimated66+24.5%
45Sheboygan, WI Estimated64-60%
46Bellevue, WI Estimated600%
47Suamico, WI Estimated54+68.8%
48Hudson, WI Estimated50+212.5%
49Beloit, WI Estimated47+113.6%
50Mount Pleasant, WI Estimated46+70.4%
50Weston, WI Estimated46-8%
52Pewaukee, WI Estimated44-12%
53Muskego, WI Estimated43-32.8%
54Pleasant Prairie, WI Estimated42+35.5%
55Mequon, WI Estimated40+21.2%
56Germantown, WI Estimated39-4.9%
56Hartford, WI Estimated39-25%
58Port Washington, WI Estimated38+31%
59Ashwaubenon, WI Estimated37+27.6%
59Manitowoc, WI Estimated37+5.7%
61Cedarburg, WI Estimated36-59.1%
62Beaver Dam, WI Estimated34+36%
63Fond du Lac, WI Estimated32+28%
63New Berlin, WI Estimated32+60%
65Fox Crossing, WI Estimated26+13%
66Monroe, WI Estimated24+2,300%
67Menomonie, WI Estimated23+21.1%
68Watertown, WI Estimated22+37.5%
69Marshfield, WI Estimated21+250%
70Richfield, WI Estimated20+17.6%
71La Crosse, WI Estimated19-32.1%
71Menasha, WI Estimated19-29.6%
71Whitewater, WI Estimated19-66.1%
74Little Chute, WI Estimated17+112.5%
74Salem Lakes, WI Estimated17-5.6%
76Two Rivers, WI Estimated14+40%
77Burlington, WI Estimated13+550%
78Racine, WI Estimated10-96.8%
79Wisconsin Rapids, WI Estimated9-30.8%
80Oak Creek, WI Estimated8-96.7%
81Fort Atkinson, WI Estimated7-12.5%
81South Milwaukee, WI Estimated7+250%
83Greenfield, WI Estimated4-80%
83Platteville, WI Estimated4-76.5%
85Allouez, WI Estimated2-50%
85Shorewood, WI Estimated2n/a
85Whitefish Bay, WI Estimated2+100%
88Elkhorn, WI Estimated1n/a
88Marinette, WI Estimated1-85.7%
88Superior, WI Estimated1-90.9%
88Waupun, WI Estimated1-50%
88Wauwatosa, WI Estimated1-50%
93Cudahy, WI Estimated0-100%
93Greendale, 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. 2 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2024 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/mw2024a.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. (2025). 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, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.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, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2025, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2024. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. 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, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2024.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) 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, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_wisconsin_by_2024,
  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, 2024}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2024. 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/mw2024a.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, 2024
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/building-permit-housing-units/wisconsin-cities?period=2024.
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/mw2024a.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 2,812 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Greendale, WI, with 0 in 2024.

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. 2 cities have no value for 2024 and are not ranked.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Wisconsin: more rankings