Data / Rankings / Single-family housing units authorized by building permits / Cities in Alabama

Cities in Alabama by single-family housing units authorized by building permits

Huntsville, AL had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 66 cities in 2017, at 1,144. Valley, AL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 56. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,144Huntsville, AL
Lowest0Valley, AL
Median5666 cities

Top 40 cities, 2017

Huntsville, AL: 1,144 countHuntsville, AL1,144Auburn, AL: 573 countAuburn, AL573Madison, AL: 558 countMadison, AL558Fairhope, AL: 367 countFairhope, AL367Tuscaloosa, AL: 320 countTuscaloosa, AL320Hoover, AL: 284 countHoover, AL284Foley, AL: 272 countFoley, AL272Montgomery, AL: 260 countMontgomery, AL260Gulf Shores, AL: 255 countGulf Shores, AL255Pike Road, AL: 218 countPike Road, AL218Opelika, AL: 212 countOpelika, AL212Trussville, AL: 212 countTrussville, AL212Chelsea, AL: 204 countChelsea, AL204Helena, AL: 200 countHelena, AL200Daphne, AL: 192 countDaphne, AL192Calera, AL: 189 countCalera, AL189Prattville, AL: 188 countPrattville, AL188Dothan, AL: 184 countDothan, AL184Athens, AL: 159 countAthens, AL159Northport, AL: 153 countNorthport, AL153Spanish Fort, AL: 132 countSpanish Fort, AL132Muscle Shoals, AL: 126 countMuscle Shoals, AL126Pelham, AL: 117 countPelham, AL117Mobile, AL: 114 countMobile, AL114Vestavia Hills, AL: 112 countVestavia Hills, AL112Birmingham, AL: 97 countBirmingham, AL97Alabaster, AL: 92 countAlabaster, AL92Cullman, AL: 85 countCullman, AL85Gardendale, AL: 77 countGardendale, AL77Florence, AL: 76 countFlorence, AL76Enterprise, AL: 71 countEnterprise, AL71Troy, AL: 61 countTroy, AL61Irondale, AL: 57 countIrondale, AL57Millbrook, AL: 55 countMillbrook, AL55Phenix City, AL: 52 countPhenix City, AL52Oxford, AL: 48 countOxford, AL48Decatur, AL: 47 countDecatur, AL47Pell City, AL: 47 countPell City, AL47Saraland, AL: 47 countSaraland, AL47Bessemer, AL: 41 countBessemer, AL41Huntsville, AL: 1,144 countHuntsville, AL1,144Auburn, AL: 573 countAuburn, AL573Madison, AL: 558 countMadison, AL558Fairhope, AL: 367 countFairhope, AL367Tuscaloosa, AL: 320 countTuscaloosa, AL320Hoover, AL: 284 countHoover, AL284Foley, AL: 272 countFoley, AL272Montgomery, AL: 260 countMontgomery, AL260Gulf Shores, AL: 255 countGulf Shores, AL255Pike Road, AL: 218 countPike Road, AL218Opelika, AL: 212 countOpelika, AL212Trussville, AL: 212 countTrussville, AL212Chelsea, AL: 204 countChelsea, AL204Helena, AL: 200 countHelena, AL200Daphne, AL: 192 countDaphne, AL192Calera, AL: 189 countCalera, AL189Prattville, AL: 188 countPrattville, AL188Dothan, AL: 184 countDothan, AL184Athens, AL: 159 countAthens, AL159Northport, AL: 153 countNorthport, AL153Spanish Fort, AL: 132 countSpanish Fort, AL132Muscle Shoals, AL: 126 countMuscle Shoals, AL126Pelham, AL: 117 countPelham, AL117Mobile, AL: 114 countMobile, AL114Vestavia Hills, AL: 112 countVestavia Hills, AL112Birmingham, AL: 97 countBirmingham, AL97Alabaster, AL: 92 countAlabaster, AL92Cullman, AL: 85 countCullman, AL85Gardendale, AL: 77 countGardendale, AL77Florence, AL: 76 countFlorence, AL76Enterprise, AL: 71 countEnterprise, AL71Troy, AL: 61 countTroy, AL61Irondale, AL: 57 countIrondale, AL57Millbrook, AL: 55 countMillbrook, AL55Phenix City, AL: 52 countPhenix City, AL52Oxford, AL: 48 countOxford, AL48Decatur, AL: 47 countDecatur, AL47Pell City, AL: 47 countPell City, AL47Saraland, AL: 47 countSaraland, AL47Bessemer, AL: 41 countBessemer, AL41
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2017
count		Change on 2016
1Huntsville, AL Estimated1,144+4.9%
2Auburn, AL Estimated573+15.3%
3Madison, AL Estimated558+13.9%
4Fairhope, AL Estimated367+5.5%
5Tuscaloosa, AL Estimated320+5.6%
6Hoover, AL Estimated284-23.9%
7Foley, AL Estimated272+2.6%
8Montgomery, AL Estimated260+12.6%
9Gulf Shores, AL Estimated255-0.8%
10Pike Road, AL Estimated218+4.3%
11Opelika, AL Estimated212+17.8%
11Trussville, AL Estimated212+26.2%
13Chelsea, AL Estimated2040%
14Helena, AL Estimated200+10.5%
15Daphne, AL Estimated192+3.2%
16Calera, AL Estimated189+10.5%
17Prattville, AL Estimated188+11.2%
18Dothan, AL Estimated184-9.8%
19Athens, AL Estimated159+43.2%
20Northport, AL Estimated153-4.4%
21Spanish Fort, AL Estimated132-13.7%
22Muscle Shoals, AL Estimated126+9.6%
23Pelham, AL Estimated117-15.2%
24Mobile, AL Estimated114+23.9%
25Vestavia Hills, AL Estimated112+7.7%
26Birmingham, AL Estimated97+7.8%
27Alabaster, AL Estimated92-30.3%
28Cullman, AL Estimated85+23.2%
29Gardendale, AL Estimated77+22.2%
30Florence, AL Estimated760%
31Enterprise, AL Estimated71+16.4%
32Troy, AL Estimated61+84.8%
33Irondale, AL Estimated570%
34Millbrook, AL Estimated55+10%
35Phenix City, AL Estimated52+15.6%
36Oxford, AL Estimated48+20%
37Decatur, AL Estimated47-29.9%
37Pell City, AL Estimated47+46.9%
37Saraland, AL Estimated47-33.8%
40Bessemer, AL Estimated41-26.8%
41Homewood, AL Estimated40-9.1%
42Hartselle, AL Estimated38-5%
43Clay, AL Estimated32+166.7%
44Leeds, AL Estimated29-57.4%
44Rainbow City, AL Estimated29+70.6%
46Moody, AL Estimated28-63.6%
46Mountain Brook, AL Estimated28-24.3%
48Albertville, AL Estimated23+1,050%
49Alexander City, AL Estimated14+16.7%
49Fort Payne, AL Estimated14+7.7%
49Scottsboro, AL Estimated14-53.3%
52Gadsden, AL Estimated12n/a
53Jasper, AL Estimated9+12.5%
53Ozark, AL Estimated9-18.2%
55Boaz, AL Estimated80%
55Jacksonville, AL Estimated8-11.1%
55Russellville, AL Estimated8+14.3%
58Sylacauga, AL Estimated40%
59Eufaula, AL Estimated30%
60Anniston, AL Estimated20%
60Hueytown, AL Estimated2+100%
60Prichard, AL Estimated2n/a
60Talladega, AL Estimated2n/a
64Center Point, AL Estimated10%
64Selma, AL Estimated10%
66Valley, AL Estimated0-100%

Other periods

About this ranking

Annual number of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures (detached and attached single-family homes) authorized by building permits, from the US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

Part of building_permit_units, which also counts units in buildings with two or more units. Counts housing units, not starts, completions or sales.

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 in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.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. (2018). Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation (Cities in Alabama by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt

MLA 9

Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Alabama by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2018, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. Cities in Alabama by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation, Cities in Alabama by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_alabama_by_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation: Cities in Alabama by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2017}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South\%20Region/so2017a.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 in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation: Cities in Alabama by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2017
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual estimates of new privately owned housing units in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2017a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Cities in Alabama by single-family housing units authorized by building permits using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"building_permit_single_family_units","level":"municipality","within":"Alabama","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=building_permit_single_family_units&level=municipality&within=Alabama&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

Huntsville, AL, with 1,144 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Valley, AL, with 0 in 2017.

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 in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Single-family housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Alabama: more rankings