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 2018, at 1,241. Center Point, AL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 66. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest1,241Huntsville, AL
Lowest0Center Point, AL
Median6666 cities

Top 40 cities, 2018

Huntsville, AL: 1,241 countHuntsville, AL1,241Auburn, AL: 583 countAuburn, AL583Madison, AL: 408 countMadison, AL408Tuscaloosa, AL: 353 countTuscaloosa, AL353Foley, AL: 326 countFoley, AL326Fairhope, AL: 321 countFairhope, AL321Hoover, AL: 312 countHoover, AL312Gulf Shores, AL: 280 countGulf Shores, AL280Opelika, AL: 258 countOpelika, AL258Chelsea, AL: 246 countChelsea, AL246Montgomery, AL: 241 countMontgomery, AL241Trussville, AL: 234 countTrussville, AL234Calera, AL: 203 countCalera, AL203Daphne, AL: 200 countDaphne, AL200Prattville, AL: 185 countPrattville, AL185Dothan, AL: 176 countDothan, AL176Helena, AL: 158 countHelena, AL158Athens, AL: 155 countAthens, AL155Pike Road, AL: 147 countPike Road, AL147Muscle Shoals, AL: 135 countMuscle Shoals, AL135Northport, AL: 112 countNorthport, AL112Pelham, AL: 111 countPelham, AL111Spanish Fort, AL: 107 countSpanish Fort, AL107Mobile, AL: 106 countMobile, AL106Vestavia Hills, AL: 88 countVestavia Hills, AL88Enterprise, AL: 85 countEnterprise, AL85Cullman, AL: 84 countCullman, AL84Phenix City, AL: 83 countPhenix City, AL83Irondale, AL: 80 countIrondale, AL80Pell City, AL: 80 countPell City, AL80Gardendale, AL: 75 countGardendale, AL75Florence, AL: 69 countFlorence, AL69Birmingham, AL: 66 countBirmingham, AL66Alabaster, AL: 65 countAlabaster, AL65Decatur, AL: 58 countDecatur, AL58Saraland, AL: 56 countSaraland, AL56Troy, AL: 49 countTroy, AL49Millbrook, AL: 45 countMillbrook, AL45Homewood, AL: 42 countHomewood, AL42Oxford, AL: 42 countOxford, AL42Huntsville, AL: 1,241 countHuntsville, AL1,241Auburn, AL: 583 countAuburn, AL583Madison, AL: 408 countMadison, AL408Tuscaloosa, AL: 353 countTuscaloosa, AL353Foley, AL: 326 countFoley, AL326Fairhope, AL: 321 countFairhope, AL321Hoover, AL: 312 countHoover, AL312Gulf Shores, AL: 280 countGulf Shores, AL280Opelika, AL: 258 countOpelika, AL258Chelsea, AL: 246 countChelsea, AL246Montgomery, AL: 241 countMontgomery, AL241Trussville, AL: 234 countTrussville, AL234Calera, AL: 203 countCalera, AL203Daphne, AL: 200 countDaphne, AL200Prattville, AL: 185 countPrattville, AL185Dothan, AL: 176 countDothan, AL176Helena, AL: 158 countHelena, AL158Athens, AL: 155 countAthens, AL155Pike Road, AL: 147 countPike Road, AL147Muscle Shoals, AL: 135 countMuscle Shoals, AL135Northport, AL: 112 countNorthport, AL112Pelham, AL: 111 countPelham, AL111Spanish Fort, AL: 107 countSpanish Fort, AL107Mobile, AL: 106 countMobile, AL106Vestavia Hills, AL: 88 countVestavia Hills, AL88Enterprise, AL: 85 countEnterprise, AL85Cullman, AL: 84 countCullman, AL84Phenix City, AL: 83 countPhenix City, AL83Irondale, AL: 80 countIrondale, AL80Pell City, AL: 80 countPell City, AL80Gardendale, AL: 75 countGardendale, AL75Florence, AL: 69 countFlorence, AL69Birmingham, AL: 66 countBirmingham, AL66Alabaster, AL: 65 countAlabaster, AL65Decatur, AL: 58 countDecatur, AL58Saraland, AL: 56 countSaraland, AL56Troy, AL: 49 countTroy, AL49Millbrook, AL: 45 countMillbrook, AL45Homewood, AL: 42 countHomewood, AL42Oxford, AL: 42 countOxford, AL42
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

RankCities2018
count		Change on 2017
1Huntsville, AL Estimated1,241+8.5%
2Auburn, AL Estimated583+1.7%
3Madison, AL Estimated408-26.9%
4Tuscaloosa, AL Estimated353+10.3%
5Foley, AL Estimated326+19.9%
6Fairhope, AL Estimated321-12.5%
7Hoover, AL Estimated312+9.9%
8Gulf Shores, AL Estimated280+9.8%
9Opelika, AL Estimated258+21.7%
10Chelsea, AL Estimated246+20.6%
11Montgomery, AL Estimated241-7.3%
12Trussville, AL Estimated234+10.4%
13Calera, AL Estimated203+7.4%
14Daphne, AL Estimated200+4.2%
15Prattville, AL Estimated185-1.6%
16Dothan, AL Estimated176-4.3%
17Helena, AL Estimated158-21%
18Athens, AL Estimated155-2.5%
19Pike Road, AL Estimated147-32.6%
20Muscle Shoals, AL Estimated135+7.1%
21Northport, AL Estimated112-26.8%
22Pelham, AL Estimated111-5.1%
23Spanish Fort, AL Estimated107-18.9%
24Mobile, AL Estimated106-7%
25Vestavia Hills, AL Estimated88-21.4%
26Enterprise, AL Estimated85+19.7%
27Cullman, AL Estimated84-1.2%
28Phenix City, AL Estimated83+59.6%
29Irondale, AL Estimated80+40.4%
29Pell City, AL Estimated80+70.2%
31Gardendale, AL Estimated75-2.6%
32Florence, AL Estimated69-9.2%
33Birmingham, AL Estimated66-32%
34Alabaster, AL Estimated65-29.3%
35Decatur, AL Estimated58+23.4%
36Saraland, AL Estimated56+19.1%
37Troy, AL Estimated49-19.7%
38Millbrook, AL Estimated45-18.2%
39Homewood, AL Estimated42+5%
39Oxford, AL Estimated42-12.5%
41Clay, AL Estimated38+18.8%
42Bessemer, AL Estimated37-9.8%
43Albertville, AL Estimated34+47.8%
43Mountain Brook, AL Estimated34+21.4%
45Moody, AL Estimated33+17.9%
45Rainbow City, AL Estimated33+13.8%
47Scottsboro, AL Estimated31+121.4%
48Hartselle, AL Estimated23-39.5%
48Leeds, AL Estimated23-20.7%
50Gadsden, AL Estimated16+33.3%
51Fort Payne, AL Estimated140%
51Valley, AL Estimated14n/a
53Alexander City, AL Estimated13-7.1%
54Jacksonville, AL Estimated9+12.5%
54Russellville, AL Estimated9+12.5%
56Boaz, AL Estimated80%
57Eufaula, AL Estimated6+100%
58Hueytown, AL Estimated4+100%
58Jasper, AL Estimated4-55.6%
58Sylacauga, AL Estimated40%
61Ozark, AL Estimated3-66.7%
62Anniston, AL Estimated20%
62Prichard, AL Estimated20%
64Selma, AL Estimated10%
64Talladega, AL Estimated1-50%
66Center Point, 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/so2018a.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. (2019). 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, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2018a.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, 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 20 June 2019, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2018a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. 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, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2018a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2019) 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, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2018a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_alabama_by_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  year = {2019},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2018a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2018. 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/so2018a.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, 2018
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/06/20
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/South%20Region/so2018a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/alabama-cities?period=2018.
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/so2018a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Huntsville, AL, with 1,241 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Center Point, AL, with 0 in 2018.

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