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

Chicago, IL had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 223 cities in 2014, at 536. Zion, IL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 9. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest536Chicago, IL

Lowest0Zion, IL

Median9223 cities

Top 40 cities, 2014

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	2014 count	Change on 2013
1	Chicago, IL Estimated	536	+19.6%
2	Washington, IL Estimated	477	+736.8%
3	Naperville, IL Estimated	375	+26.3%
4	Elgin, IL Estimated	333	-2.9%
5	Pingree Grove, IL Estimated	277	+88.4%
6	Huntley, IL Estimated	193	+9.7%
7	Plainfield, IL Estimated	163	+19.9%
8	New Lenox, IL Estimated	162	-6.9%
9	Elmhurst, IL Estimated	145	+22.9%
10	O'Fallon, IL Estimated	126	+50%
11	Bolingbrook, IL Estimated	124	+14.8%
12	Joliet, IL Estimated	122	+64.9%
13	Oswego, IL Estimated	119	-47.3%
14	Frankfort, IL Estimated	103	+7.3%
15	Bloomington, IL Estimated	102	-48.2%
16	Aurora, IL Estimated	101	-34.4%
17	Arlington Heights, IL Estimated	96	+74.5%
18	Lisle, IL Estimated	93	+69.1%
19	Champaign, IL Estimated	92	+26%
19	Shorewood, IL Estimated	92	0%
21	Springfield, IL Estimated	89	+9.9%
22	Glenview, IL Estimated	85	-31.5%
23	Normal, IL Estimated	81	-30.8%
23	Orland Park, IL Estimated	81	+19.1%
25	Lemont, IL Estimated	78	+25.8%
26	Downers Grove, IL Estimated	76	+2.7%
27	Yorkville, IL Estimated	74	-8.6%
28	Mundelein, IL Estimated	73	-13.1%
29	Quincy, IL Estimated	69	+60.5%
30	Fairview Heights, IL Estimated	68	-2.9%
31	Chatham, IL Estimated	67	+3.1%
31	Hinsdale, IL Estimated	67	+21.8%
33	Shiloh, IL Estimated	62	+3.3%
34	Wheaton, IL Estimated	61	+24.5%
35	Vernon Hills, IL Estimated	60	+130.8%
36	Mahomet, IL Estimated	56	-23.3%
37	Mokena, IL Estimated	55	-36%
38	Western Springs, IL Estimated	54	+17.4%
39	Glen Ellyn, IL Estimated	52	+79.3%
40	Peoria, IL Estimated	51	-65.3%
41	Lockport, IL Estimated	49	+69%
42	East Peoria, IL Estimated	47	0%
43	Northbrook, IL Estimated	46	+17.9%
43	Winfield, IL Estimated	46	+24.3%
43	Woodstock, IL Estimated	46	-4.2%
46	Manhattan, IL Estimated	45	-2.2%
47	Bourbonnais, IL Estimated	44	-12%
47	Urbana, IL Estimated	44	+193.3%
47	Wilmette, IL Estimated	44	0%
50	Columbia, IL Estimated	41	-32.8%
51	Homer Glen, IL Estimated	40	+42.9%
51	North Aurora, IL Estimated	40	+29%
51	South Elgin, IL Estimated	40	+1,233.3%
54	Deerfield, IL Estimated	39	+11.4%
55	Glen Carbon, IL Estimated	38	-9.5%
56	Morton, IL Estimated	37	-24.5%
56	Troy, IL Estimated	37	+37%
58	Carol Stream, IL Estimated	36	+12.5%
58	Waterloo, IL Estimated	36	+50%
60	Edwardsville, IL Estimated	35	-25.5%
60	Park Ridge, IL Estimated	35	+45.8%
62	Minooka, IL Estimated	34	+6.3%
62	Palatine, IL Estimated	34	-33.3%
62	Tinley Park, IL Estimated	34	+47.8%
65	Rockford, IL Estimated	33	+200%
66	Beach Park, IL Estimated	32	-8.6%
67	Montgomery, IL Estimated	31	+24%
68	Schaumburg, IL Estimated	30	+2,900%
68	Sycamore, IL Estimated	30	+7.1%
70	Herrin, IL Estimated	29	-3.3%
70	Swansea, IL Estimated	29	-6.5%
70	Woodridge, IL Estimated	29	+45%
73	Belleville, IL Estimated	28	-17.6%
73	Burr Ridge, IL Estimated	28	+133.3%
73	Highland Park, IL Estimated	28	+55.6%
73	Pekin, IL Estimated	28	+27.3%
77	Ottawa, IL Estimated	27	0%
77	Waukegan, IL Estimated	27	-6.9%
79	Carpentersville, IL Estimated	26	-33.3%
80	St. Charles, IL Estimated	23	-37.8%
81	Batavia, IL Estimated	22	+214.3%
81	Marion, IL Estimated	22	+29.4%
83	Geneva, IL Estimated	20	+66.7%
83	Libertyville, IL Estimated	20	-39.4%
83	Westmont, IL Estimated	20	-20%
86	Evanston, IL Estimated	19	+171.4%
86	La Grange, IL Estimated	19	-5%
86	Winnetka, IL Estimated	19	-36.7%
89	Algonquin, IL Estimated	18	+350%
89	Collinsville, IL Estimated	18	+260%
89	Crystal Lake, IL Estimated	18	-25%
89	Lake Zurich, IL Estimated	18	-21.7%
93	Effingham, IL Estimated	17	+21.4%
94	Barrington, IL Estimated	16	+45.5%
94	Bartlett, IL Estimated	16	+433.3%
94	Bradley, IL Estimated	16	-23.8%
94	Lombard, IL Estimated	16	-56.8%
94	Prospect Heights, IL Estimated	16	0%
94	Romeoville, IL Estimated	16	-33.3%
100	Lake Forest, IL Estimated	15	+25%
100	Morris, IL Estimated	15	+7.1%
102	Burbank, IL Estimated	14	0%
102	Rock Island, IL Estimated	14	+100%
104	Machesney Park, IL Estimated	13	+85.7%
104	Roselle, IL Estimated	13	-7.1%
106	Cary, IL Estimated	12	+33.3%
107	Loves Park, IL Estimated	11	+22.2%
107	Round Lake, IL Estimated	11	-63.3%
109	Markham, IL Estimated	10	-9.1%
109	Moline, IL Estimated	10	+100%
109	Oak Park, IL Estimated	10	+900%
112	Carbondale, IL Estimated	9	+28.6%
112	Channahon, IL Estimated	9	-10%
112	Charleston, IL Estimated	9	-10%
115	Buffalo Grove, IL Estimated	8	+33.3%
115	Skokie, IL Estimated	8	+166.7%
117	Crest Hill, IL Estimated	7	+600%
117	Lincolnwood, IL Estimated	7	+75%
117	Lindenhurst, IL Estimated	7	-58.8%
117	Mattoon, IL Estimated	7	+250%
117	McHenry, IL Estimated	7	0%
117	Morton Grove, IL Estimated	7	+75%
117	Mount Vernon, IL Estimated	7	+16.7%
117	Warrenville, IL Estimated	7	+40%
125	Addison, IL Estimated	6	+100%
125	Campton Hills, IL Estimated	6	+200%
125	Elmwood Park, IL Estimated	6	n/a
125	Granite City, IL Estimated	6	-50%
125	Kankakee, IL Estimated	6	+500%
125	Lake in the Hills, IL Estimated	6	-66.7%
125	Norridge, IL Estimated	6	+200%
125	Palos Hills, IL Estimated	6	+100%
125	West Chicago, IL Estimated	6	+20%
134	Belvidere, IL Estimated	5	-58.3%
134	Bensenville, IL Estimated	5	+400%
134	Danville, IL Estimated	5	n/a
134	East St. Louis, IL Estimated	5	0%
134	Godfrey, IL Estimated	5	-16.7%
134	Highland, IL Estimated	5	-75%
134	Mount Prospect, IL Estimated	5	-37.5%
134	Oak Lawn, IL Estimated	5	-16.7%
134	Rolling Meadows, IL Estimated	5	-28.6%
143	Des Plaines, IL Estimated	4	-87.1%
143	Gurnee, IL Estimated	4	0%
143	La Grange Park, IL Estimated	4	-60%
146	Evergreen Park, IL Estimated	3	+200%
146	Galesburg, IL Estimated	3	-25%
146	Hickory Hills, IL Estimated	3	+200%
146	Kewanee, IL Estimated	3	+50%
146	Niles, IL Estimated	3	-40%
146	Sterling, IL Estimated	3	+50%
152	Decatur, IL Estimated	2	-84.6%
152	Jacksonville, IL Estimated	2	0%
152	Justice, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Lincoln, IL Estimated	2	+100%
152	Macomb, IL Estimated	2	-77.8%
152	Midlothian, IL Estimated	2	+100%
152	Oak Forest, IL Estimated	2	+100%
152	Schiller Park, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Streator, IL Estimated	2	+100%
152	Taylorville, IL Estimated	2	-90%
152	Villa Park, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Wood Dale, IL Estimated	2	-33.3%
152	Wood River, IL Estimated	2	-33.3%
165	Alsip, IL Estimated	1	n/a
165	Alton, IL Estimated	1	0%
165	Berwyn, IL Estimated	1	n/a
165	Bloomingdale, IL Estimated	1	-50%
165	Brookfield, IL Estimated	1	-66.7%
165	Canton, IL Estimated	1	-50%
165	Darien, IL Estimated	1	-80%
165	Dixon, IL Estimated	1	-90.9%
165	Forest Park, IL Estimated	1	n/a
165	Fox Lake, IL Estimated	1	-50%
165	Freeport, IL Estimated	1	0%
165	Grayslake, IL Estimated	1	-50%
165	Hoffman Estates, IL Estimated	1	-50%
165	Lyons, IL Estimated	1	0%
165	Matteson, IL Estimated	1	-83.3%
165	Melrose Park, IL Estimated	1	n/a
165	Plano, IL Estimated	1	n/a
182	Antioch, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Bellwood, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Blue Island, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Bridgeview, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Calumet City, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Centralia, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Chicago Heights, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Chicago Ridge, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Cicero, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Country Club Hills, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Crestwood, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	DeKalb, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Dolton, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	East Moline, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Elk Grove Village, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Franklin Park, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Glendale Heights, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Hanover Park, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Harvey, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Hazel Crest, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Homewood, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Lansing, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Maywood, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	North Chicago, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Northlake, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Palos Heights, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Park Forest, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Pontiac, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Rantoul, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Richton Park, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	River Forest, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	River Grove, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Riverdale, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Round Lake Beach, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	South Holland, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Streamwood, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Summit, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Wauconda, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Westchester, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Wheeling, IL Estimated	0	-100%
182	Worth, IL Estimated	0	n/a
182	Zion, IL Estimated	0	n/a

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. 1 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2014 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/Midwest%20Region/mw2014a.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. (2016). 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 Illinois by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2014a.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 Illinois by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2014. U.S. Census Bureau, 30 Sept. 2016, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2014a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2016. 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 Illinois by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2014a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2016) 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 Illinois by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2014a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_illinois_by_2014,
  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 Illinois by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2014}},
  year = {2016},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2014a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2014. 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/Midwest\%20Region/mw2014a.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 Illinois by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2014
PY  - 2016
DA  - 2016/09/30
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2014a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2014.
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/Midwest%20Region/mw2014a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Chicago, IL, with 536 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Zion, IL, with 0 in 2014.

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. 1 cities have no value for 2014 and are not ranked.