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

Seattle, WA had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 91 cities in 2022, at 418. Fife, WA had the lowest, at 0. The median was 51. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest418Seattle, WA

Lowest0Fife, WA

Median5191 cities

Top 40 cities, 2022

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	2022 count	Change on 2021
1	Seattle, WA Estimated	418	+58.3%
2	Pasco, WA Estimated	363	-35.5%
3	Ridgefield, WA Estimated	362	-44.1%
4	Port Orchard, WA Estimated	323	+74.6%
5	Spokane, WA Estimated	320	-7.5%
6	Bellevue, WA Estimated	317	+58.5%
7	Bothell, WA Estimated	309	+44.4%
8	Kirkland, WA Estimated	299	-8.6%
9	Lake Stevens, WA Estimated	298	+39.9%
10	Kent, WA Estimated	277	-19.2%
11	Richland, WA Estimated	270	-33.5%
12	Vancouver, WA Estimated	262	-54.2%
13	Battle Ground, WA Estimated	234	-18.5%
14	Liberty Lake, WA Estimated	223	+102.7%
15	Kennewick, WA Estimated	212	-23.7%
15	Spokane Valley, WA Estimated	212	-4.5%
17	Marysville, WA Estimated	197	-33.9%
18	Bellingham, WA Estimated	179	-20.1%
19	Moses Lake, WA Estimated	175	-1.7%
20	Tacoma, WA Estimated	149	-40.4%
21	Yakima, WA Estimated	146	-0.7%
22	Bremerton, WA Estimated	134	-56.8%
23	Gig Harbor, WA Estimated	125	-45.2%
23	West Richland, WA Estimated	125	-51.6%
25	Ferndale, WA Estimated	114	-44.9%
26	Tumwater, WA Estimated	113	-15%
27	Kenmore, WA Estimated	103	+33.8%
28	Washougal, WA Estimated	95	+1.1%
29	Lynden, WA Estimated	94	+113.6%
30	Port Townsend, WA Estimated	83	+56.6%
31	Camas, WA Estimated	76	-73.4%
32	Redmond, WA Estimated	74	+37%
33	Anacortes, WA Estimated	73	-9.9%
34	Poulsbo, WA Estimated	69	-4.2%
34	Sammamish, WA Estimated	69	+38%
36	Longview, WA Estimated	65	+550%
37	Yelm, WA Estimated	64	+220%
38	Renton, WA Estimated	63	+31.3%
39	Puyallup, WA Estimated	62	-38.6%
40	Airway Heights, WA Estimated	61	-31.5%
40	Lynnwood, WA Estimated	61	+335.7%
42	Monroe, WA Estimated	58	-28.4%
43	Issaquah, WA Estimated	56	-27.3%
44	Enumclaw, WA Estimated	52	-21.2%
44	Walla Walla, WA Estimated	52	+4%
46	Ellensburg, WA Estimated	51	+4.1%
46	Everett, WA Estimated	51	+64.5%
48	Olympia, WA Estimated	49	-62.9%
49	Grandview, WA Estimated	46	-41%
49	Pullman, WA Estimated	46	-2.1%
51	Centralia, WA Estimated	45	+60.7%
52	Lacey, WA Estimated	44	-58.9%
52	Lakewood, WA Estimated	44	-27.9%
54	Port Angeles, WA Estimated	42	-4.5%
55	Burien, WA Estimated	41	-4.7%
56	Auburn, WA Estimated	39	-50.6%
56	Federal Way, WA Estimated	39	+34.5%
58	Bainbridge Island, WA Estimated	38	-37.7%
58	Sunnyside, WA Estimated	38	+192.3%
60	Edgewood, WA Estimated	37	-71.8%
61	Mountlake Terrace, WA Estimated	35	-65%
62	Bonney Lake, WA Estimated	31	+29.2%
63	Sedro-Woolley, WA Estimated	28	-73.8%
63	Snohomish, WA Estimated	28	-12.5%
65	Mercer Island, WA Estimated	26	-16.1%
66	Tukwila, WA Estimated	25	+66.7%
67	Maple Valley, WA Estimated	21	-86.9%
68	Covington, WA Estimated	20	-84.3%
69	Oak Harbor, WA Estimated	19	-53.7%
70	Edmonds, WA Estimated	17	-48.5%
70	Newcastle, WA Estimated	17	-39.3%
70	Wenatchee, WA Estimated	17	-61.4%
73	Shoreline, WA Estimated	16	-90%
74	Woodinville, WA Estimated	15	+66.7%
75	SeaTac, WA Estimated	14	-30%
76	Lake Forest Park, WA Estimated	13	+85.7%
77	Shelton, WA Estimated	12	-25%
78	Snoqualmie, WA Estimated	11	n/a
79	Arlington, WA Estimated	9	-18.2%
80	Cheney, WA Estimated	8	-11.1%
80	University Place, WA Estimated	8	-42.9%
82	Des Moines, WA Estimated	6	-50%
82	Kelso, WA Estimated	6	+20%
84	Aberdeen, WA Estimated	4	-50%
84	Mount Vernon, WA Estimated	4	-90%
86	Mukilteo, WA Estimated	3	0%
86	Sumner, WA Estimated	3	-91.7%
88	Mill Creek, WA Estimated	2	-92.3%
89	East Wenatchee, WA Estimated	1	-75%
90	Burlington, WA Estimated	0	-100%
90	Fife, WA 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. 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/West%20Region/we2022a.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. (2024). 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 Washington by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2022a.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 Washington by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 2 Apr. 2024, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2022a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/washington-cities?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2024. 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 Washington by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2022a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/washington-cities?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2024) 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 Washington by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2022a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/washington-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_washington_by_2022,
  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 Washington by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2022}},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2022a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/washington-cities?period=2022. 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/West\%20Region/we2022a.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 Washington by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2022
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/04/02
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/West%20Region/we2022a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/washington-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/washington-cities?period=2022.
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/West%20Region/we2022a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Seattle, WA, with 418 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Fife, WA, with 0 in 2022.

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.