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

Lakeville, MN had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 103 cities in 2016, at 454. Robbinsdale, MN had the lowest, at 1. The median was 37. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest454Lakeville, MN

Lowest1Robbinsdale, MN

Median37103 cities

Top 40 cities, 2016

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	2016 count	Change on 2015
1	Lakeville, MN Estimated	454	+9.7%
2	Rochester, MN Estimated	403	+12.3%
3	Blaine, MN Estimated	320	+6.3%
4	Woodbury, MN Estimated	319	+24.1%
5	Plymouth, MN Estimated	303	+1.7%
6	Otsego, MN Estimated	220	+6.3%
7	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	169	+38.5%
8	Apple Valley, MN Estimated	161	+34.2%
9	Savage, MN Estimated	151	+77.6%
10	Moorhead, MN Estimated	145	-27.1%
11	Maple Grove, MN Estimated	143	-25.5%
12	Victoria, MN Estimated	138	+62.4%
13	Brooklyn Park, MN Estimated	135	+0.7%
14	Chaska, MN Estimated	134	0%
15	Dayton, MN Estimated	122	+62.7%
16	Rosemount, MN Estimated	115	+23.7%
17	Prior Lake, MN Estimated	114	-8.1%
18	Mankato, MN Estimated	113	+44.9%
19	Edina, MN Estimated	109	-6%
20	Andover, MN Estimated	103	+39.2%
21	Waconia, MN Estimated	102	+7.4%
22	Lino Lakes, MN Estimated	100	+122.2%
23	Hugo, MN Estimated	99	+43.5%
24	Cottage Grove, MN Estimated	98	+50.8%
25	Inver Grove Heights, MN Estimated	95	+187.9%
26	Eagan, MN Estimated	88	+79.6%
26	St. Paul, MN Estimated	88	+46.7%
28	Ramsey, MN Estimated	86	-19.6%
29	Elk River, MN Estimated	75	+2.7%
30	St. Michael, MN Estimated	74	+111.4%
31	Sartell, MN Estimated	73	+17.7%
32	Ham Lake, MN Estimated	67	+19.6%
33	Farmington, MN Estimated	64	+16.4%
34	Monticello, MN Estimated	60	+46.3%
35	Big Lake, MN Estimated	56	+75%
36	Eden Prairie, MN Estimated	50	-31.5%
36	Rogers, MN Estimated	50	+6.4%
36	Shakopee, MN Estimated	50	-15.3%
39	North Branch, MN Estimated	49	+53.1%
39	St. Cloud, MN Estimated	49	+6.5%
41	Chanhassen, MN Estimated	48	-52%
42	Cambridge, MN Estimated	47	+38.2%
43	Hermantown, MN Estimated	46	+27.8%
43	Minnetonka, MN Estimated	46	-4.2%
45	Champlin, MN Estimated	44	+69.2%
45	Lake Elmo, MN Estimated	44	+10%
45	New Brighton, MN Estimated	44	-20%
48	Duluth, MN Estimated	42	+44.8%
48	Sauk Rapids, MN Estimated	42	+35.5%
50	Buffalo, MN Estimated	41	+7.9%
51	Detroit Lakes, MN Estimated	40	0%
52	East Bethel, MN Estimated	37	+76.2%
52	Owatonna, MN Estimated	37	+164.3%
52	Willmar, MN Estimated	37	+208.3%
55	New Hope, MN Estimated	34	+1,033.3%
56	Northfield, MN Estimated	32	+3.2%
57	Bemidji, MN Estimated	30	-42.3%
57	Forest Lake, MN Estimated	30	-33.3%
59	Hutchinson, MN Estimated	28	+33.3%
59	Mendota Heights, MN Estimated	28	+33.3%
61	Stillwater, MN Estimated	27	+107.7%
62	Alexandria, MN Estimated	26	-48%
62	Burnsville, MN Estimated	26	-46.9%
64	St. Peter, MN Estimated	23	+91.7%
65	Hastings, MN Estimated	22	+10%
66	Coon Rapids, MN Estimated	21	-27.6%
66	North Mankato, MN Estimated	21	-65%
68	Anoka, MN Estimated	20	-23.1%
69	Faribault, MN Estimated	19	+11.8%
69	New Ulm, MN Estimated	19	0%
69	Vadnais Heights, MN Estimated	19	+18.8%
72	Golden Valley, MN Estimated	17	-22.7%
73	Fergus Falls, MN Estimated	16	+14.3%
74	Brainerd, MN Estimated	15	+36.4%
74	Crystal, MN Estimated	15	+15.4%
74	Red Wing, MN Estimated	15	-16.7%
74	Shoreview, MN Estimated	15	-21.1%
78	Bloomington, MN Estimated	14	-12.5%
78	Maplewood, MN Estimated	14	+27.3%
80	Roseville, MN Estimated	13	-13.3%
81	West St. Paul, MN Estimated	12	+100%
82	Austin, MN Estimated	11	0%
82	Columbia Heights, MN Estimated	11	+22.2%
84	Hibbing, MN Estimated	10	+42.9%
84	North St. Paul, MN Estimated	10	+233.3%
86	Albert Lea, MN Estimated	9	+28.6%
86	Grand Rapids, MN Estimated	9	+12.5%
86	Marshall, MN Estimated	9	+125%
86	White Bear Lake, MN Estimated	9	+12.5%
90	Little Canada, MN Estimated	8	-33.3%
90	Worthington, MN Estimated	8	+100%
92	Oakdale, MN Estimated	6	-45.5%
92	Richfield, MN Estimated	6	0%
92	St. Louis Park, MN Estimated	6	-79.3%
95	Fridley, MN Estimated	5	+25%
95	Winona, MN Estimated	5	-16.7%
97	Mounds View, MN Estimated	4	-71.4%
97	South St. Paul, MN Estimated	4	+33.3%
99	Cloquet, MN Estimated	3	-62.5%
100	Fairmont, MN Estimated	2	n/a
101	Brooklyn Center, MN Estimated	1	-90%
101	Hopkins, MN Estimated	1	0%
101	Robbinsdale, MN Estimated	1	-85.7%

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/Midwest%20Region/mw2016a.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. (2017). 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 Minnesota by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2016a.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 Minnesota by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2017, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2016a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. 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 Minnesota by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2016a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2017) 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 Minnesota by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2016a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_minnesota_by_2016,
  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 Minnesota by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2016}},
  year = {2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2016a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2016. 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/mw2016a.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 Minnesota by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2016
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2016a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2016.
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/mw2016a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Lakeville, MN, with 454 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Robbinsdale, MN, with 1 in 2016.

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.