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

Naperville, IL had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 223 cities in 2020, at 319. Zion, IL had the lowest, at 0. The median was 8. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest319Naperville, IL

Lowest0Zion, IL

Median8223 cities

Top 40 cities, 2020

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	2020 count	Change on 2019
1	Naperville, IL Estimated	319	+29.7%
2	Yorkville, IL Estimated	308	+111%
3	Plainfield, IL Estimated	256	+26.7%
4	Chicago, IL Estimated	248	-39.5%
5	Joliet, IL Estimated	240	+39.5%
6	Elgin, IL Estimated	153	+15%
7	Pingree Grove, IL Estimated	151	+132.3%
8	New Lenox, IL Estimated	131	+10.1%
9	Channahon, IL Estimated	119	+24%
10	Manhattan, IL Estimated	113	-29.4%
11	O'Fallon, IL Estimated	108	-14.3%
12	Oswego, IL Estimated	105	+14.1%
13	Frankfort, IL Estimated	99	+16.5%
14	McHenry, IL Estimated	98	-31.5%
14	Shiloh, IL Estimated	98	+60.7%
16	Montgomery, IL Estimated	95	+50.8%
17	Mahomet, IL Estimated	92	+84%
18	Aurora, IL Estimated	91	+26.4%
19	South Elgin, IL Estimated	90	+260%
20	Huntley, IL Estimated	87	-20.9%
21	Crystal Lake, IL Estimated	83	-6.7%
22	Plano, IL Estimated	73	+23.7%
23	Mundelein, IL Estimated	69	+60.5%
24	Troy, IL Estimated	67	+48.9%
25	Elmhurst, IL Estimated	65	-27.8%
25	Normal, IL Estimated	65	+66.7%
27	Bloomington, IL Estimated	63	+65.8%
27	Shorewood, IL Estimated	63	+5%
29	Quincy, IL Estimated	62	+5.1%
30	Bolingbrook, IL Estimated	61	-7.6%
30	Springfield, IL Estimated	61	+7%
32	Champaign, IL Estimated	58	-18.3%
33	Woodstock, IL Estimated	57	+7.5%
34	Lemont, IL Estimated	56	-11.1%
35	North Aurora, IL Estimated	55	-32.1%
36	Homer Glen, IL Estimated	52	+173.7%
37	Waterloo, IL Estimated	51	+30.8%
38	Morris, IL Estimated	48	+336.4%
39	Glenview, IL Estimated	46	+119%
40	Glen Carbon, IL Estimated	45	+60.7%
41	Northbrook, IL Estimated	44	+18.9%
42	Belleville, IL Estimated	43	-12.2%
43	Arlington Heights, IL Estimated	42	+13.5%
43	Romeoville, IL Estimated	42	+68%
43	Sycamore, IL Estimated	42	+7.7%
46	Antioch, IL Estimated	41	+17.1%
46	Loves Park, IL Estimated	41	-32.8%
48	Des Plaines, IL Estimated	40	-9.1%
48	Lockport, IL Estimated	40	-7%
50	Buffalo Grove, IL Estimated	39	+1,850%
50	Wheaton, IL Estimated	39	+160%
52	Burr Ridge, IL Estimated	37	+15.6%
52	Godfrey, IL Estimated	37	+27.6%
54	St. Charles, IL Estimated	36	-18.2%
55	Downers Grove, IL Estimated	35	-30%
55	Edwardsville, IL Estimated	35	+12.9%
55	Mokena, IL Estimated	35	0%
55	Peoria, IL Estimated	35	+6.1%
59	Orland Park, IL Estimated	34	-12.8%
60	Bloomingdale, IL Estimated	33	+26.9%
60	Vernon Hills, IL Estimated	33	+6.5%
60	Warrenville, IL Estimated	33	-26.7%
63	Chatham, IL Estimated	32	0%
63	Hinsdale, IL Estimated	32	-20%
65	Algonquin, IL Estimated	29	-40.8%
66	Highland Park, IL Estimated	26	+23.8%
66	Highland, IL Estimated	26	+62.5%
66	Ottawa, IL Estimated	26	+18.2%
69	Bourbonnais, IL Estimated	25	-19.4%
70	Addison, IL Estimated	24	-14.3%
70	Batavia, IL Estimated	24	+50%
70	Geneva, IL Estimated	24	+33.3%
70	Marion, IL Estimated	24	-25%
70	Wilmette, IL Estimated	24	-17.2%
70	Wood River, IL Estimated	24	+700%
76	Woodridge, IL Estimated	23	-68.1%
77	Libertyville, IL Estimated	22	-43.6%
77	Urbana, IL Estimated	22	0%
79	Lake Forest, IL Estimated	21	-4.5%
80	Park Ridge, IL Estimated	20	+11.1%
80	Western Springs, IL Estimated	20	-35.5%
82	Glen Ellyn, IL Estimated	19	-20.8%
82	Winnetka, IL Estimated	19	+58.3%
84	Bradley, IL Estimated	18	+50%
85	Effingham, IL Estimated	17	+21.4%
85	Oak Lawn, IL Estimated	17	+30.8%
85	Skokie, IL Estimated	17	+240%
85	Washington, IL Estimated	17	-10.5%
89	Campton Hills, IL Estimated	16	-27.3%
89	Cary, IL Estimated	16	-15.8%
89	Morton, IL Estimated	16	+128.6%
89	Swansea, IL Estimated	16	-36%
93	Columbia, IL Estimated	15	-25%
93	Herrin, IL Estimated	15	+25%
93	La Grange, IL Estimated	15	+15.4%
93	Lombard, IL Estimated	15	-48.3%
93	Moline, IL Estimated	15	+7.1%
93	Westmont, IL Estimated	15	0%
99	Dixon, IL Estimated	14	+27.3%
99	Tinley Park, IL Estimated	14	-57.6%
101	Bartlett, IL Estimated	13	-31.6%
102	Burbank, IL Estimated	12	+100%
102	Minooka, IL Estimated	12	-78.2%
102	Rockford, IL Estimated	12	-63.6%
102	Rolling Meadows, IL Estimated	12	n/a
106	Deerfield, IL Estimated	9	0%
106	Elk Grove Village, IL Estimated	9	+800%
106	Winfield, IL Estimated	9	+12.5%
109	Justice, IL Estimated	8	+300%
109	Pekin, IL Estimated	8	+14.3%
109	River Forest, IL Estimated	8	+166.7%
109	Roselle, IL Estimated	8	+33.3%
113	Lake Zurich, IL Estimated	7	0%
113	Palatine, IL Estimated	7	+16.7%
113	Palos Hills, IL Estimated	7	+16.7%
116	Belvidere, IL Estimated	6	-33.3%
116	Collinsville, IL Estimated	6	-57.1%
116	DeKalb, IL Estimated	6	n/a
116	Evergreen Park, IL Estimated	6	+100%
116	Granite City, IL Estimated	6	-14.3%
116	North Chicago, IL Estimated	6	-14.3%
116	Prospect Heights, IL Estimated	6	+50%
123	Berwyn, IL Estimated	5	-37.5%
123	East Peoria, IL Estimated	5	-50%
123	Evanston, IL Estimated	5	-64.3%
123	Fox Lake, IL Estimated	5	-80%
123	Hickory Hills, IL Estimated	5	+66.7%
123	Jacksonville, IL Estimated	5	+25%
123	Lincoln, IL Estimated	5	+66.7%
123	Lisle, IL Estimated	5	-28.6%
123	Villa Park, IL Estimated	5	-50%
132	Barrington, IL Estimated	4	-50%
132	Carbondale, IL Estimated	4	0%
132	Centralia, IL Estimated	4	-66.7%
132	Fairview Heights, IL Estimated	4	-20%
132	Hoffman Estates, IL Estimated	4	-93.4%
132	La Grange Park, IL Estimated	4	+33.3%
132	Wauconda, IL Estimated	4	0%
139	Carpentersville, IL Estimated	3	n/a
139	Cicero, IL Estimated	3	+200%
139	East Moline, IL Estimated	3	0%
139	Gurnee, IL Estimated	3	+200%
139	Machesney Park, IL Estimated	3	-95.2%
139	Markham, IL Estimated	3	+200%
139	Mattoon, IL Estimated	3	0%
139	Midlothian, IL Estimated	3	-25%
139	Mount Prospect, IL Estimated	3	-57.1%
139	Mount Vernon, IL Estimated	3	-62.5%
139	South Holland, IL Estimated	3	+200%
139	Wood Dale, IL Estimated	3	0%
139	Worth, IL Estimated	3	n/a
152	Blue Island, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Brookfield, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Canton, IL Estimated	2	0%
152	Crest Hill, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Crestwood, IL Estimated	2	-33.3%
152	Danville, IL Estimated	2	-66.7%
152	Elmwood Park, IL Estimated	2	-60%
152	Grayslake, IL Estimated	2	+100%
152	Lake in the Hills, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Lincolnwood, IL Estimated	2	+100%
152	Lindenhurst, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Lyons, IL Estimated	2	0%
152	Northlake, IL Estimated	2	-50%
152	Rock Island, IL Estimated	2	+100%
152	Schaumburg, IL Estimated	2	0%
152	Schiller Park, IL Estimated	2	0%
152	Streator, IL Estimated	2	n/a
152	Waukegan, IL Estimated	2	-71.4%
170	Bridgeview, IL Estimated	1	-87.5%
170	Charleston, IL Estimated	1	0%
170	Chicago Heights, IL Estimated	1	n/a
170	Forest Park, IL Estimated	1	n/a
170	Homewood, IL Estimated	1	n/a
170	Macomb, IL Estimated	1	0%
170	Maywood, IL Estimated	1	-50%
170	Oak Forest, IL Estimated	1	0%
170	Oak Park, IL Estimated	1	-94.4%
170	Pontiac, IL Estimated	1	-66.7%
170	Rantoul, IL Estimated	1	0%
170	Streamwood, IL Estimated	1	n/a
170	West Chicago, IL Estimated	1	0%
183	Alsip, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Alton, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Beach Park, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Bellwood, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Bensenville, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Calumet City, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Carol Stream, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Chicago Ridge, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Country Club Hills, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Darien, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Decatur, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Dolton, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	East St. Louis, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Franklin Park, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Freeport, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Galesburg, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Glendale Heights, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Hanover Park, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Harvey, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Hazel Crest, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Kankakee, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Kewanee, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Lansing, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Matteson, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Melrose Park, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Morton Grove, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Niles, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Norridge, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Palos Heights, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Park Forest, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Richton Park, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	River Grove, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Riverdale, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Round Lake Beach, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Round Lake, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Sterling, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Summit, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Taylorville, IL Estimated	0	-100%
183	Westchester, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	Wheeling, IL Estimated	0	n/a
183	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 2020 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/mw2020a.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. (2021). 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, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2020a.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, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 3 May 2021, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2020a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2021. 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, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2020a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2021) 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, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2020a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_illinois_by_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2020a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2020. 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/mw2020a.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, 2020
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/05/03
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2020a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/illinois-cities?period=2020.
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/mw2020a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Naperville, IL, with 319 in 2020, 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 2020.

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 2020 and are not ranked.