Cities in New Jersey by single-family housing units authorized by building permits

Long Branch, NJ had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 117 cities in 2020, at 216. Wanaque, NJ had the lowest, at 0. The median was 7. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest216Long Branch, NJ

Lowest0Wanaque, NJ

Median7117 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	Long Branch, NJ Estimated	216	+204.2%
2	Tinton Falls, NJ Estimated	162	+153.1%
3	Franklin Lakes, NJ Estimated	133	+75%
4	Jersey City, NJ Estimated	130	-93.5%
5	Tenafly, NJ Estimated	115	+228.6%
6	Florham Park, NJ Estimated	110	+20.9%
7	Fair Lawn, NJ Estimated	107	+75.4%
8	Wood-Ridge, NJ Estimated	87	+55.4%
9	West New York, NJ Estimated	78	n/a
10	Vineland, NJ Estimated	72	-28%
11	Ocean City, NJ Estimated	66	-38.9%
12	Point Pleasant, NJ Estimated	53	+26.2%
13	Paramus, NJ Estimated	41	+20.6%
14	Westfield, NJ Estimated	39	-29.1%
15	Sayreville, NJ Estimated	34	+209.1%
16	Madison, NJ Estimated	33	+175%
17	South Plainfield, NJ Estimated	31	+93.8%
18	Chatham, NJ Estimated	27	+50%
19	Elizabeth, NJ Estimated	26	+85.7%
20	Linden, NJ Estimated	25	-19.4%
21	Montvale, NJ Estimated	23	-20.7%
21	Waldwick, NJ Estimated	23	+27.8%
23	Cliffside Park, NJ Estimated	22	-8.3%
23	Manville, NJ Estimated	22	+1,000%
25	Asbury Park, NJ Estimated	21	+250%
25	Elmwood Park, NJ Estimated	21	-4.5%
27	Fort Lee, NJ Estimated	20	+11.1%
28	Passaic, NJ Estimated	18	-43.8%
29	Clifton, NJ Estimated	17	+41.7%
29	Summit, NJ Estimated	17	+41.7%
31	Princeton, NJ Estimated	16	n/a
32	East Orange, NJ Estimated	15	+66.7%
32	Rahway, NJ Estimated	15	+15.4%
34	Garfield, NJ Estimated	14	+1,300%
34	Little Ferry, NJ Estimated	14	+180%
34	Metuchen, NJ Estimated	14	-6.7%
34	Ridgewood, NJ Estimated	14	+7.7%
38	Lindenwold, NJ Estimated	13	+18.2%
38	Ridgefield, NJ Estimated	13	+85.7%
38	Ringwood, NJ Estimated	13	+18.2%
38	River Edge, NJ Estimated	13	0%
38	Somers Point, NJ Estimated	13	+18.2%
43	Palisades Park, NJ Estimated	12	-53.8%
44	Camden, NJ Estimated	11	-86.4%
44	Hammonton, NJ Estimated	11	-8.3%
44	Middlesex, NJ Estimated	11	+37.5%
44	Morristown, NJ Estimated	11	+37.5%
44	New Milford, NJ Estimated	11	+22.2%
44	Paterson, NJ Estimated	11	-47.6%
50	Millville, NJ Estimated	10	-33.3%
51	Bound Brook, NJ Estimated	9	-25%
51	Hawthorne, NJ Estimated	9	+125%
51	Westwood, NJ Estimated	9	+125%
54	Beachwood, NJ Estimated	8	-27.3%
54	Glen Rock, NJ Estimated	8	+60%
54	Ridgefield Park, NJ Estimated	8	+60%
57	Atlantic City, NJ Estimated	7	+16.7%
57	Harrison, NJ Estimated	7	-78.1%
57	Red Bank, NJ Estimated	7	-61.1%
57	Rutherford, NJ Estimated	7	+16.7%
61	Bayonne, NJ Estimated	6	-25%
61	Bergenfield, NJ Estimated	6	-75%
61	Hillsdale, NJ Estimated	6	+20%
61	Kinnelon, NJ Estimated	6	+50%
61	Secaucus, NJ Estimated	6	+500%
61	South Amboy, NJ Estimated	6	-14.3%
67	New Providence, NJ Estimated	5	-16.7%
67	Pleasantville, NJ Estimated	5	+400%
67	Roselle, NJ Estimated	5	+150%
70	Carteret, NJ Estimated	4	-20%
70	Englewood, NJ Estimated	4	-42.9%
70	North Plainfield, NJ Estimated	4	n/a
70	Perth Amboy, NJ Estimated	4	-96.7%
74	Dover, NJ Estimated	3	+200%
74	Edgewater, NJ Estimated	3	-89.3%
74	Glassboro, NJ Estimated	3	+50%
74	Hasbrouck Heights, NJ Estimated	3	-40%
74	Hoboken, NJ Estimated	3	0%
74	Hopatcong, NJ Estimated	3	-50%
74	New Brunswick, NJ Estimated	3	0%
74	Oakland, NJ Estimated	3	+200%
74	Phillipsburg, NJ Estimated	3	-25%
74	Union City, NJ Estimated	3	+50%
74	Woodland Park, NJ Estimated	3	n/a
85	Bellmawr, NJ Estimated	2	+100%
85	Bridgeton, NJ Estimated	2	n/a
85	Haddonfield, NJ Estimated	2	-85.7%
85	Highland Park, NJ Estimated	2	-86.7%
85	Kearny, NJ Estimated	2	n/a
85	Newark, NJ Estimated	2	n/a
85	Pine Hill, NJ Estimated	2	-33.3%
85	Plainfield, NJ Estimated	2	-33.3%
85	Somerville, NJ Estimated	2	-33.3%
85	South River, NJ Estimated	2	-60%
85	Wallington, NJ Estimated	2	+100%
85	Woodbury, NJ Estimated	2	-33.3%
97	Dumont, NJ Estimated	1	n/a
97	East Rutherford, NJ Estimated	1	n/a
97	Eatontown, NJ Estimated	1	-90%
97	Hackettstown, NJ Estimated	1	n/a
97	Pompton Lakes, NJ Estimated	1	0%
97	Totowa, NJ Estimated	1	n/a
103	Burlington, NJ Estimated	0	-100%
103	Collingswood, NJ Estimated	0	n/a
103	Fairview, NJ Estimated	0	-100%
103	Freehold, NJ Estimated	0	n/a
103	Gloucester City, NJ Estimated	0	n/a
103	Guttenberg, NJ Estimated	0	-100%
103	Hackensack, NJ Estimated	0	n/a
103	Lincoln Park, NJ Estimated	0	n/a
103	Lodi, NJ Estimated	0	-100%
103	Maywood, NJ Estimated	0	-100%
103	North Arlington, NJ Estimated	0	-100%
103	Ramsey, NJ Estimated	0	-100%
103	Roselle Park, NJ Estimated	0	n/a
103	Trenton, NJ Estimated	0	n/a
103	Wanaque, NJ 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/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.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 New Jersey by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.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 New Jersey by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 3 May 2021, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/new-jersey-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 New Jersey by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/new-jersey-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 New Jersey by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/new-jersey-cities?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_new_jersey_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 New Jersey by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2020}},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/new-jersey-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/Northeast\%20Region/ne2020a.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 New Jersey 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/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/new-jersey-cities?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/new-jersey-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/Northeast%20Region/ne2020a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Long Branch, NJ, with 216 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Wanaque, NJ, 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.