Cities in California by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2025

Los Angeles, CA had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 369 cities in 2025, at 3,848. Red Bluff, CA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 51. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest3,848Los Angeles, CA

Lowest0Red Bluff, CA

Median51369 cities

Top 40 cities, 2025

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

Rank	Cities	2025 count	Change on 2024
1	Los Angeles, CA Estimated	3,848	+26.5%
2	Bakersfield, CA Estimated	1,401	-9.4%
3	Elk Grove, CA Estimated	1,126	+11.5%
4	Fresno, CA Estimated	1,037	+5.5%
5	Roseville, CA Estimated	1,024	-15.8%
6	Sacramento, CA Estimated	1,012	+42.9%
7	Lathrop, CA Estimated	835	+15.2%
8	San Diego, CA Estimated	819	+5.7%
9	Manteca, CA Estimated	798	-38.3%
10	Rancho Cordova, CA Estimated	764	-34.2%
11	Ontario, CA Estimated	690	+125.5%
12	Menifee, CA Estimated	676	-28.2%
13	San Jose, CA Estimated	613	-4.5%
14	Clovis, CA Estimated	588	-9.4%
15	Fontana, CA Estimated	575	+26.7%
16	Hesperia, CA Estimated	559	+74.7%
17	Visalia, CA Estimated	544	+119.4%
18	Lincoln, CA Estimated	478	-18.3%
19	Shafter, CA Estimated	452	+4.4%
20	Merced, CA Estimated	450	+45.6%
21	Perris, CA Estimated	444	+17.2%
22	Dublin, CA Estimated	441	+635%
23	Lancaster, CA Estimated	440	-22.8%
24	Folsom, CA Estimated	425	-42.5%
25	Hemet, CA Estimated	396	-3.4%
26	Santa Clarita, CA Estimated	395	+46.8%
27	Tulare, CA Estimated	385	-1.3%
28	Irvine, CA Estimated	368	-61.6%
29	Banning, CA Estimated	367	+382.9%
30	Oceanside, CA Estimated	364	+118%
31	Garden Grove, CA Estimated	351	+225%
32	Paradise, CA Estimated	335	-2.9%
33	Stockton, CA Estimated	333	-36.8%
33	Vacaville, CA Estimated	333	-25.8%
35	Escondido, CA Estimated	314	+86.9%
36	Indio, CA Estimated	313	+24.7%
37	San Marcos, CA Estimated	308	+30%
38	Moreno Valley, CA Estimated	300	-27.2%
39	Hanford, CA Estimated	295	-9.5%
40	Jurupa Valley, CA Estimated	291	-1%
41	San Jacinto, CA Estimated	281	+31.9%
42	Galt, CA Estimated	263	+60.4%
43	Santa Ana, CA Estimated	252	+19.4%
44	Huntington Beach, CA Estimated	249	+10.2%
44	Palm Desert, CA Estimated	249	+128.4%
46	Santa Rosa, CA Estimated	228	-21.9%
47	Corona, CA Estimated	227	-2.2%
47	Fullerton, CA Estimated	227	+167.1%
49	Salinas, CA Estimated	210	+54.4%
50	Fairfield, CA Estimated	208	-2.8%
50	Modesto, CA Estimated	208	+30.8%
52	Highland, CA Estimated	205	+32.3%
53	Redlands, CA Estimated	203	+20.8%
54	Desert Hot Springs, CA Estimated	199	+91.3%
55	Palo Alto, CA Estimated	196	+15.3%
56	Temecula, CA Estimated	195	-20.7%
57	Lake Elsinore, CA Estimated	194	-63.7%
58	Pomona, CA Estimated	191	-23.3%
58	Rocklin, CA Estimated	191	-24.2%
60	Redding, CA Estimated	190	+54.5%
61	Patterson, CA Estimated	189	+285.7%
62	Los Banos, CA Estimated	183	+30.7%
62	Riverbank, CA Estimated	183	-30.9%
64	Encinitas, CA Estimated	180	-16.3%
64	Porterville, CA Estimated	180	+24.1%
64	Rosemead, CA Estimated	180	+42.9%
67	Downey, CA Estimated	178	+30.9%
67	San Luis Obispo, CA Estimated	178	-5.8%
69	Lodi, CA Estimated	177	-32.4%
70	Victorville, CA Estimated	172	-62.7%
71	Long Beach, CA Estimated	167	-9.7%
72	Rohnert Park, CA Estimated	166	-10.3%
73	Carlsbad, CA Estimated	163	+147%
74	Riverside, CA Estimated	160	-51.7%
75	South Gate, CA Estimated	159	-21.3%
76	Chino, CA Estimated	156	-64.6%
77	Hollister, CA Estimated	155	+31.4%
78	Delano, CA Estimated	149	+21.1%
79	Santa Maria, CA Estimated	148	-16.9%
80	Beaumont, CA Estimated	144	-48.6%
80	Marina, CA Estimated	144	+17.1%
82	Covina, CA Estimated	139	+1,058.3%
82	Vista, CA Estimated	139	-23.2%
84	Inglewood, CA Estimated	138	+7.8%
85	Morgan Hill, CA Estimated	137	-27.9%
86	El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CA Estimated	135	-54.4%
87	Milpitas, CA Estimated	134	+112.7%
88	Pico Rivera, CA Estimated	133	+25.5%
89	Yuba City, CA Estimated	130	+41.3%
90	California City, CA Estimated	129	+21.7%
90	Cathedral City, CA Estimated	129	+92.5%
90	Napa, CA Estimated	129	+11.2%
93	El Monte, CA Estimated	128	+341.4%
94	Camarillo, CA Estimated	124	+63.2%
94	Palmdale, CA Estimated	124	+24%
94	Temple City, CA Estimated	124	-27.9%
97	Chino Hills, CA Estimated	123	+232.4%
98	Redondo Beach, CA Estimated	118	+22.9%
99	Glendale, CA Estimated	117	+7.3%
99	Loma Linda, CA Estimated	117	+58.1%
101	Chula Vista, CA Estimated	112	-57.1%
102	Alhambra, CA Estimated	111	-14.6%
102	Brentwood, CA Estimated	111	+177.5%
102	Placentia, CA Estimated	111	+60.9%
102	Rancho Cucamonga, CA Estimated	111	+38.8%
106	Antioch, CA Estimated	109	-65.8%
107	Newport Beach, CA Estimated	108	-10%
108	Calexico, CA Estimated	107	+109.8%
108	El Cajon, CA Estimated	107	-10.1%
110	Berkeley, CA Estimated	106	+8.2%
111	Compton, CA Estimated	105	+26.5%
112	Anaheim, CA Estimated	104	+9.5%
113	Sanger, CA Estimated	102	+168.4%
113	Santa Clara, CA Estimated	102	+67.2%
115	Oakley, CA Estimated	101	+8.6%
116	Chico, CA Estimated	99	+70.7%
116	La Mesa, CA Estimated	99	-26.7%
116	Pasadena, CA Estimated	99	+3.1%
119	Westminster, CA Estimated	98	+250%
120	Apple Valley, CA Estimated	96	+28%
120	La Quinta, CA Estimated	96	+6.7%
120	Saratoga, CA Estimated	96	-9.4%
123	Turlock, CA Estimated	95	-18.8%
124	Culver City, CA Estimated	93	+24%
125	Fremont, CA Estimated	90	+16.9%
125	Santa Monica, CA Estimated	90	-14.3%
127	West Covina, CA Estimated	89	-12.7%
128	Bellflower, CA Estimated	88	-19.3%
128	Fountain Valley, CA Estimated	88	+183.9%
130	Santa Paula, CA Estimated	87	-30.4%
130	West Sacramento, CA Estimated	87	-40.8%
132	Glendora, CA Estimated	85	+39.3%
132	Livermore, CA Estimated	85	n/a
132	Mountain View, CA Estimated	85	-26.1%
132	Palm Springs, CA Estimated	85	-9.6%
132	San Ramon, CA Estimated	85	-17.5%
137	Eastvale, CA Estimated	82	+70.8%
137	Manhattan Beach, CA Estimated	82	-15.5%
139	Los Altos, CA Estimated	81	+15.7%
140	Campbell, CA Estimated	80	+53.8%
140	Petaluma, CA Estimated	80	+788.9%
140	Torrance, CA Estimated	80	-10.1%
143	Oakland, CA Estimated	78	+69.6%
143	Tracy, CA Estimated	78	-87.9%
145	Arcadia, CA Estimated	77	-7.2%
146	Madera, CA Estimated	76	-41.5%
147	Poway, CA Estimated	75	+19%
147	Woodland, CA Estimated	75	-44.9%
149	La Mirada, CA Estimated	73	+231.8%
150	Azusa, CA Estimated	70	+150%
150	Concord, CA Estimated	70	-21.3%
150	Lake Forest, CA Estimated	70	+159.3%
150	Orange, CA Estimated	70	+6.1%
154	Hawthorne, CA Estimated	69	+475%
155	Davis, CA Estimated	68	-35.2%
156	Seaside, CA Estimated	67	+509.1%
157	Chowchilla, CA Estimated	66	+94.1%
157	Cupertino, CA Estimated	66	-25%
157	McFarland, CA Estimated	66	-13.2%
157	Menlo Park, CA Estimated	66	-21.4%
161	Diamond Bar, CA Estimated	65	+30%
162	Dixon, CA Estimated	64	-82.9%
163	Monrovia, CA Estimated	63	-17.1%
163	Walnut, CA Estimated	63	-49.6%
165	Lynwood, CA Estimated	62	-38.6%
165	San Leandro, CA Estimated	62	-4.6%
167	Richmond, CA Estimated	61	-62.1%
168	Corcoran, CA Estimated	59	+742.9%
168	Danville, CA Estimated	59	+5.4%
170	Imperial Beach, CA Estimated	58	-12.1%
170	Wildomar, CA Estimated	58	-47.7%
172	Monterey Park, CA Estimated	57	-51.7%
172	Pleasanton, CA Estimated	57	-10.9%
172	Watsonville, CA Estimated	57	+23.9%
175	Baldwin Park, CA Estimated	56	-24.3%
176	Paramount, CA Estimated	55	+1.9%
176	Union City, CA Estimated	55	+34.1%
178	Brawley, CA Estimated	54	+45.9%
179	Rancho Mirage, CA Estimated	53	+3.9%
179	San Gabriel, CA Estimated	53	-17.2%
181	Colton, CA Estimated	52	-13.3%
181	King City, CA Estimated	52	-26.8%
181	Oxnard, CA Estimated	52	-17.5%
181	Redwood City, CA Estimated	52	+40.5%
185	Tustin, CA Estimated	51	+104%
185	Vallejo, CA Estimated	51	-17.7%
187	American Canyon, CA Estimated	50	-26.5%
187	Montebello, CA Estimated	50	+16.3%
189	Laguna Beach, CA Estimated	48	-5.9%
189	Santa Cruz, CA Estimated	48	0%
191	Grass Valley, CA Estimated	47	+571.4%
191	Greenfield, CA Estimated	47	+88%
191	South Pasadena, CA Estimated	47	-7.8%
191	Twentynine Palms, CA Estimated	47	+80.8%
195	Truckee, CA Estimated	46	+17.9%
195	Yucaipa, CA Estimated	46	-24.6%
197	Burbank, CA Estimated	45	+2.3%
197	Hayward, CA Estimated	45	-71.9%
197	San Marino, CA Estimated	45	+1,400%
200	Sunnyvale, CA Estimated	44	+4.8%
201	Dinuba, CA Estimated	43	-8.5%
201	Hillsborough, CA Estimated	43	+19.4%
203	South San Francisco, CA Estimated	42	-26.3%
203	Thousand Oaks, CA Estimated	42	-20.8%
205	San Dimas, CA Estimated	40	+8.1%
206	San Fernando, CA Estimated	39	+116.7%
206	Santee, CA Estimated	39	-57.6%
208	San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA Estimated	37	-15.9%
208	Windsor, CA Estimated	37	+37%
210	Lompoc, CA Estimated	36	-20%
210	Norco, CA Estimated	36	+38.5%
212	Citrus Heights, CA Estimated	35	+483.3%
212	Cypress, CA Estimated	35	+6.1%
212	El Centro, CA Estimated	35	+250%
212	Moorpark, CA Estimated	35	-27.1%
212	Newark, CA Estimated	35	-56.3%
217	South El Monte, CA Estimated	34	-5.6%
218	Coachella, CA Estimated	33	-26.7%
218	Fillmore, CA Estimated	33	+153.8%
218	Rialto, CA Estimated	33	-15.4%
218	Rio Vista, CA Estimated	33	-72.3%
218	San Carlos, CA Estimated	33	+43.5%
223	Buena Park, CA Estimated	32	+88.2%
224	El Segundo, CA Estimated	31	-13.9%
225	Santa Barbara, CA Estimated	30	+87.5%
226	Adelanto, CA Estimated	29	-9.4%
226	Atascadero, CA Estimated	29	0%
226	Bell Gardens, CA Estimated	29	0%
226	Yorba Linda, CA Estimated	29	-12.1%
230	Alameda, CA Estimated	27	-69.3%
230	Daly City, CA Estimated	27	+575%
230	Lakewood, CA Estimated	27	+3.8%
233	Whittier, CA Estimated	26	-67.9%
234	Lemon Grove, CA Estimated	25	-43.2%
234	Lemoore, CA Estimated	25	-35.9%
236	Carson, CA Estimated	24	+1,100%
236	Grover Beach, CA Estimated	24	+33.3%
236	Stanton, CA Estimated	24	-42.9%
239	Duarte, CA Estimated	23	-32.4%
239	Hermosa Beach, CA Estimated	23	+130%
239	San Clemente, CA Estimated	23	-41%
239	Yucca Valley, CA Estimated	23	-36.1%
243	La Cañada Flintridge, CA Estimated	22	-43.6%
243	Placerville, CA Estimated	22	+266.7%
245	Beverly Hills, CA Estimated	21	-16%
245	La Habra, CA Estimated	21	-8.7%
245	Ridgecrest, CA Estimated	21	+162.5%
248	Carpinteria, CA Estimated	20	+53.8%
248	Commerce, CA Estimated	20	n/a
248	Gardena, CA Estimated	20	-20%

Showing the top 250 of 369. The Excel download has every row.

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. 3 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2025 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 in 1-unit structures authorized by permit-issuing place, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2025a.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. (2026). 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 California by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2025a.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 California by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2025. U.S. Census Bureau, 14 May 2026, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2025a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/california-cities. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. 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 California by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2025a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/california-cities.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) 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 California by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2025a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/california-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_california_by_2025,
  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 California by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2025a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/california-cities. 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/West\%20Region/we2025a.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 California by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/14
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2025a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/california-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/california-cities.
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/West%20Region/we2025a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank Cities in California 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":"California","limit":10}
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Questions

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

Los Angeles, CA, with 3,848 in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Red Bluff, CA, with 0 in 2025.

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. 3 cities have no value for 2025 and are not ranked.