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

Woodbury, MN had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 103 cities in 2019, at 695. St. Louis Park, MN had the lowest, at 0. The median was 32. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest695Woodbury, MN

Lowest0St. Louis Park, MN

Median32103 cities

Top 40 cities, 2019

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	2019 count	Change on 2018
1	Woodbury, MN Estimated	695	+68.3%
2	Lakeville, MN Estimated	616	+21.5%
3	Plymouth, MN Estimated	367	-1.9%
4	Otsego, MN Estimated	335	+9.8%
5	Blaine, MN Estimated	300	+15.8%
6	Rochester, MN Estimated	296	-14.7%
7	Cottage Grove, MN Estimated	293	+62.8%
8	Dayton, MN Estimated	286	+86.9%
9	Maple Grove, MN Estimated	236	-14.2%
10	Prior Lake, MN Estimated	197	+8.2%
11	Rosemount, MN Estimated	181	+4%
12	Savage, MN Estimated	172	-25.2%
13	Victoria, MN Estimated	163	-5.2%
14	Ramsey, MN Estimated	140	+1.4%
14	Shakopee, MN Estimated	140	+19.7%
16	Moorhead, MN Estimated	125	-6.7%
17	Minneapolis, MN Estimated	122	-24.7%
18	Elk River, MN Estimated	117	-23%
19	Andover, MN Estimated	116	+93.3%
20	Lino Lakes, MN Estimated	114	-28.7%
21	Chaska, MN Estimated	113	+44.9%
22	St. Michael, MN Estimated	110	-5.2%
23	Inver Grove Heights, MN Estimated	106	-18.5%
24	Hugo, MN Estimated	104	-16.1%
25	Rogers, MN Estimated	103	-28.5%
26	Brooklyn Park, MN Estimated	99	-20.2%
27	St. Cloud, MN Estimated	88	-19.3%
28	Mankato, MN Estimated	85	-37%
29	Big Lake, MN Estimated	77	+54%
30	St. Paul, MN Estimated	74	+196%
31	Cambridge, MN Estimated	70	+29.6%
31	Duluth, MN Estimated	70	+45.8%
33	Edina, MN Estimated	66	-9.6%
34	Ham Lake, MN Estimated	65	-3%
35	Chanhassen, MN Estimated	59	-43.8%
36	Alexandria, MN Estimated	54	0%
36	Sartell, MN Estimated	54	-11.5%
38	Forest Lake, MN Estimated	52	-1.9%
39	Minnetonka, MN Estimated	50	-20.6%
40	North Branch, MN Estimated	49	-32.9%
41	Buffalo, MN Estimated	48	+11.6%
42	Stillwater, MN Estimated	46	+15%
43	North St. Paul, MN Estimated	44	+2,100%
44	Champlin, MN Estimated	43	+13.2%
45	Lake Elmo, MN Estimated	42	-6.7%
46	Monticello, MN Estimated	41	-16.3%
47	Fridley, MN Estimated	39	+160%
48	Farmington, MN Estimated	38	+11.8%
49	Brainerd, MN Estimated	35	-14.6%
49	Eagan, MN Estimated	35	-18.6%
49	Owatonna, MN Estimated	35	-7.9%
52	Hermantown, MN Estimated	32	+3.2%
53	Apple Valley, MN Estimated	29	-56.7%
54	East Bethel, MN Estimated	27	-27%
55	Sauk Rapids, MN Estimated	26	-16.1%
56	New Ulm, MN Estimated	24	-14.3%
56	North Mankato, MN Estimated	24	-29.4%
58	Hutchinson, MN Estimated	23	-32.4%
59	Bemidji, MN Estimated	21	+61.5%
60	Waconia, MN Estimated	20	-59.2%
61	Red Wing, MN Estimated	19	-20.8%
62	New Brighton, MN Estimated	18	n/a
62	Vadnais Heights, MN Estimated	18	-37.9%
64	Burnsville, MN Estimated	17	-22.7%
64	Coon Rapids, MN Estimated	17	-22.7%
64	Faribault, MN Estimated	17	-26.1%
64	Fergus Falls, MN Estimated	17	+142.9%
68	Eden Prairie, MN Estimated	16	-67.3%
69	Austin, MN Estimated	14	-70.8%
69	Hastings, MN Estimated	14	-6.7%
69	Marshall, MN Estimated	14	+16.7%
69	Willmar, MN Estimated	14	-50%
73	Golden Valley, MN Estimated	13	-38.1%
73	Northfield, MN Estimated	13	-69%
73	White Bear Lake, MN Estimated	13	+18.2%
76	Shoreview, MN Estimated	12	+50%
77	Hibbing, MN Estimated	11	0%
78	Mendota Heights, MN Estimated	10	-52.4%
79	Mounds View, MN Estimated	9	+12.5%
80	Richfield, MN Estimated	8	0%
80	Roseville, MN Estimated	8	-55.6%
80	South St. Paul, MN Estimated	8	+60%
80	Winona, MN Estimated	8	-11.1%
84	New Hope, MN Estimated	7	n/a
85	Cloquet, MN Estimated	6	+20%
85	Crystal, MN Estimated	6	-53.8%
85	Grand Rapids, MN Estimated	6	-40%
85	St. Peter, MN Estimated	6	-68.4%
89	Albert Lea, MN Estimated	5	-58.3%
89	West St. Paul, MN Estimated	5	+25%
91	Hopkins, MN Estimated	4	n/a
91	Worthington, MN Estimated	4	-50%
93	Bloomington, MN Estimated	3	-57.1%
93	Brooklyn Center, MN Estimated	3	-40%
93	Columbia Heights, MN Estimated	3	-57.1%
93	Fairmont, MN Estimated	3	-66.7%
93	Robbinsdale, MN Estimated	3	-50%
98	Maplewood, MN Estimated	2	-71.4%
99	Anoka, MN Estimated	1	-97.2%
99	Little Canada, MN Estimated	1	0%
101	Detroit Lakes, MN Estimated	0	n/a
101	Oakdale, MN Estimated	0	-100%
101	St. Louis Park, MN Estimated	0	-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/Midwest%20Region/mw2019a.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. (2020). 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, 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2019a.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, 2019. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2020, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2019a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2019. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2020. 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, 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2019a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2020) 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, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2019a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_minnesota_by_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  year = {2020},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2019a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2019. 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/mw2019a.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, 2019
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2019a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/minnesota-cities?period=2019.
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/mw2019a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Woodbury, MN, with 695 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

St. Louis Park, MN, with 0 in 2019.

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.