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

Counties in Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits

Dane County had the highest housing units authorized by building permits of 72 counties in 2023, at 5,012. Menominee County had the lowest, at 5. The median was 139. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest5,012Dane County
Lowest5Menominee County
Median13972 counties

Top 40 counties, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

Dane CountyDane County: 5,012 count5,012Milwaukee CountyMilwaukee County: 1,221 count1,221Eau Claire CountyEau Claire County: 1,145 count1,145Waukesha CountyWaukesha County: 1,087 count1,087Brown CountyBrown County: 816 count816Outagamie CountyOutagamie County: 561 count561Sheboygan CountySheboygan County: 560 count560Racine CountyRacine County: 524 count524Walworth CountyWalworth County: 472 count472La Crosse CountyLa Crosse County: 435 count435Winnebago CountyWinnebago County: 432 count432St. Croix CountySt. Croix County: 412 count412Marathon CountyMarathon County: 396 count396Pierce CountyPierce County: 373 count373Door CountyDoor County: 371 count371Chippewa CountyChippewa County: 356 count356Sauk CountySauk County: 340 count340Vilas CountyVilas County: 328 count328Rock CountyRock County: 313 count313Oneida CountyOneida County: 312 count312Washington CountyWashington County: 283 count283Ozaukee CountyOzaukee County: 273 count273Dodge CountyDodge County: 259 count259Polk CountyPolk County: 257 count257Kenosha CountyKenosha County: 227 count227Columbia CountyColumbia County: 220 count220Sawyer CountySawyer County: 210 count210Calumet CountyCalumet County: 192 count192Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 174 count174Portage CountyPortage County: 167 count167Barron CountyBarron County: 165 count165Adams CountyAdams County: 158 count158Langlade CountyLanglade County: 158 count158Burnett CountyBurnett County: 150 count150Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 148 count148Juneau CountyJuneau County: 140 count140Dunn CountyDunn County: 138 count138Fond du Lac CountyFond du Lac County: 133 count133Marinette CountyMarinette County: 132 count132Oconto CountyOconto County: 125 count125
count. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-10.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
count
1Dane County Estimated5,012
2Milwaukee County Estimated1,221
3Eau Claire County Estimated1,145
4Waukesha County Estimated1,087
5Brown County Estimated816
6Outagamie County Estimated561
7Sheboygan County Estimated560
8Racine County Estimated524
9Walworth County Estimated472
10La Crosse County Estimated435
11Winnebago County Estimated432
12St. Croix County Estimated412
13Marathon County Estimated396
14Pierce County Estimated373
15Door County Estimated371
16Chippewa County Estimated356
17Sauk County Estimated340
18Vilas County Estimated328
19Rock County Estimated313
20Oneida County Estimated312
21Washington County Estimated283
22Ozaukee County Estimated273
23Dodge County Estimated259
24Polk County Estimated257
25Kenosha County Estimated227
26Columbia County Estimated220
27Sawyer County Estimated210
28Calumet County Estimated192
29Lincoln County Estimated174
30Portage County Estimated167
31Barron County Estimated165
32Adams County Estimated158
32Langlade County Estimated158
34Burnett County Estimated150
35Jefferson County Estimated148
36Juneau County Estimated140
37Dunn County Estimated138
38Fond du Lac County Estimated133
39Marinette County Estimated132
40Oconto County Estimated125
41Waupaca County Estimated121
42Monroe County Estimated118
43Grant County Estimated117
44Douglas County Estimated110
44Washburn County Estimated110
46Clark County Estimated109
47Manitowoc County Estimated106
48Taylor County Estimated103
48Waushara County Estimated103
50Wood County Estimated101
51Bayfield County Estimated96
52Rusk County Estimated92
53Vernon County Estimated88
54Shawano County Estimated84
55Trempealeau County Estimated83
56Iron County Estimated82
57Jackson County Estimated70
58Iowa County Estimated69
59Green County Estimated60
60Price County Estimated53
61Kewaunee County Estimated52
62Green Lake County Estimated50
62Lafayette County Estimated50
64Forest County Estimated44
65Marquette County Estimated43
65Richland County Estimated43
67Buffalo County Estimated39
68Crawford County Estimated35
69Ashland County Estimated33
69Florence County Estimated33
71Pepin County Estimated17
72Menominee County Estimated5

Other periods

About this ranking

Annual number of new privately owned housing units authorized by building permits, from the US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

Final annual county estimates include imputation for missing reports. Counts housing units, not buildings, starts, completions or sales. Covers permit-issuing areas; areas where permits are not required are outside the survey. Not seasonally adjusted or expressed as an annualized monthly rate. The total is the sum of units in the four published structure categories; inputs are retained.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/County/co2023a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-10.

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Rank Counties in Wisconsin by housing units authorized by building permits using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

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

Dane County, with 5,012 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Menominee County, with 5 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 county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. Retrieved 2026-10-10.

Housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Counties in Wisconsin: more rankings