Data / Rankings / Single-family housing units authorized by building permits / Cities in Wisconsin

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

Madison, WI had the highest single-family housing units authorized by building permits of 94 cities in 2023, at 332. West Allis, WI had the lowest, at 0. The median was 25. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest332Madison, WI
Lowest0West Allis, WI
Median2594 cities

Top 40 cities, 2023

Madison, WI: 332 countMadison, WI332Sussex, WI: 125 countSussex, WI125Oconomowoc, WI: 123 countOconomowoc, WI123Waunakee, WI: 100 countWaunakee, WI100Appleton, WI: 96 countAppleton, WI96Sun Prairie, WI: 95 countSun Prairie, WI95DeForest, WI: 85 countDeForest, WI85Fitchburg, WI: 85 countFitchburg, WI85Harrison, WI: 82 countHarrison, WI82Windsor, WI: 82 countWindsor, WI82Menomonee Falls, WI: 79 countMenomonee Falls, WI79Kaukauna, WI: 75 countKaukauna, WI75Holmen, WI: 72 countHolmen, WI72River Falls, WI: 67 countRiver Falls, WI67Oregon, WI: 65 countOregon, WI65New Richmond, WI: 63 countNew Richmond, WI63Grafton, WI: 62 countGrafton, WI62Milwaukee, WI: 61 countMilwaukee, WI61Verona, WI: 61 countVerona, WI61Bellevue, WI: 58 countBellevue, WI58De Pere, WI: 56 countDe Pere, WI56Janesville, WI: 56 countJanesville, WI56Kenosha, WI: 50 countKenosha, WI50Pewaukee, WI: 50 countPewaukee, WI50Franklin, WI: 49 countFranklin, WI49Plover, WI: 46 countPlover, WI46Neenah, WI: 43 countNeenah, WI43Cedarburg, WI: 42 countCedarburg, WI42Eau Claire, WI: 41 countEau Claire, WI41Germantown, WI: 41 countGermantown, WI41Weston, WI: 40 countWeston, WI40Hartford, WI: 38 countHartford, WI38Oak Creek, WI: 38 countOak Creek, WI38Green Bay, WI: 37 countGreen Bay, WI37Muskego, WI: 36 countMuskego, WI36Waukesha, WI: 33 countWaukesha, WI33Suamico, WI: 32 countSuamico, WI32Mequon, WI: 31 countMequon, WI31Ashwaubenon, WI: 29 countAshwaubenon, WI29Port Washington, WI: 29 countPort Washington, WI29Madison, WI: 332 countMadison, WI332Sussex, WI: 125 countSussex, WI125Oconomowoc, WI: 123 countOconomowoc, WI123Waunakee, WI: 100 countWaunakee, WI100Appleton, WI: 96 countAppleton, WI96Sun Prairie, WI: 95 countSun Prairie, WI95DeForest, WI: 85 countDeForest, WI85Fitchburg, WI: 85 countFitchburg, WI85Harrison, WI: 82 countHarrison, WI82Windsor, WI: 82 countWindsor, WI82Menomonee Falls, WI: 79 countMenomonee Falls, WI79Kaukauna, WI: 75 countKaukauna, WI75Holmen, WI: 72 countHolmen, WI72River Falls, WI: 67 countRiver Falls, WI67Oregon, WI: 65 countOregon, WI65New Richmond, WI: 63 countNew Richmond, WI63Grafton, WI: 62 countGrafton, WI62Milwaukee, WI: 61 countMilwaukee, WI61Verona, WI: 61 countVerona, WI61Bellevue, WI: 58 countBellevue, WI58De Pere, WI: 56 countDe Pere, WI56Janesville, WI: 56 countJanesville, WI56Kenosha, WI: 50 countKenosha, WI50Pewaukee, WI: 50 countPewaukee, WI50Franklin, WI: 49 countFranklin, WI49Plover, WI: 46 countPlover, WI46Neenah, WI: 43 countNeenah, WI43Cedarburg, WI: 42 countCedarburg, WI42Eau Claire, WI: 41 countEau Claire, WI41Germantown, WI: 41 countGermantown, WI41Weston, WI: 40 countWeston, WI40Hartford, WI: 38 countHartford, WI38Oak Creek, WI: 38 countOak Creek, WI38Green Bay, WI: 37 countGreen Bay, WI37Muskego, WI: 36 countMuskego, WI36Waukesha, WI: 33 countWaukesha, WI33Suamico, WI: 32 countSuamico, WI32Mequon, WI: 31 countMequon, WI31Ashwaubenon, WI: 29 countAshwaubenon, WI29Port Washington, WI: 29 countPort Washington, WI29
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

RankCities2023
count		Change on 2022
1Madison, WI Estimated332+5.7%
2Sussex, WI Estimated125+37.4%
3Oconomowoc, WI Estimated123+19.4%
4Waunakee, WI Estimated100+1%
5Appleton, WI Estimated96-11.1%
6Sun Prairie, WI Estimated95-5%
7DeForest, WI Estimated85+347.4%
7Fitchburg, WI Estimated85-23.4%
9Harrison, WI Estimated82+36.7%
9Windsor, WI Estimated82+7.9%
11Menomonee Falls, WI Estimated790%
12Kaukauna, WI Estimated75+36.4%
13Holmen, WI Estimated72-2.7%
14River Falls, WI Estimated67+17.5%
15Oregon, WI Estimated65+3.2%
16New Richmond, WI Estimated63-25.9%
17Grafton, WI Estimated62-26.2%
18Milwaukee, WI Estimated61+45.2%
18Verona, WI Estimated61-6.2%
20Bellevue, WI Estimated58+13.7%
21De Pere, WI Estimated56+124%
21Janesville, WI Estimated56-47.7%
23Kenosha, WI Estimated50-9.1%
23Pewaukee, WI Estimated50-29.6%
25Franklin, WI Estimated49-23.4%
26Plover, WI Estimated46+12.2%
27Neenah, WI Estimated43+16.2%
28Cedarburg, WI Estimated42-14.3%
29Eau Claire, WI Estimated41-43.8%
29Germantown, WI Estimated410%
31Weston, WI Estimated40+2.6%
32Hartford, WI Estimated38-11.6%
32Oak Creek, WI Estimated38-38.7%
34Green Bay, WI Estimated370%
35Muskego, WI Estimated36+16.1%
36Waukesha, WI Estimated33+6.5%
37Suamico, WI Estimated32+6.7%
38Mequon, WI Estimated31-65.6%
39Ashwaubenon, WI Estimated29-19.4%
39Port Washington, WI Estimated29+81.3%
39Sheboygan, WI Estimated29+262.5%
42Hobart, WI Estimated28-55.6%
43Menasha, WI Estimated27+22.7%
43Mount Pleasant, WI Estimated270%
45La Crosse, WI Estimated26-7.1%
46Fond du Lac, WI Estimated25-19.4%
46Pleasant Prairie, WI Estimated25-43.2%
48Manitowoc, WI Estimated24+41.2%
49Beloit, WI Estimated22+10%
49Oshkosh, WI Estimated22-65.6%
51Beaver Dam, WI Estimated21+133.3%
51Fox Crossing, WI Estimated21-36.4%
53New Berlin, WI Estimated20+11.1%
54Brookfield, WI Estimated19+46.2%
54Hartland, WI Estimated19-47.2%
54Menomonie, WI Estimated19+5.6%
57Salem Lakes, WI Estimated18-5.3%
58Richfield, WI Estimated17+21.4%
59Hudson, WI Estimated16+128.6%
59Watertown, WI Estimated160%
61Wausau, WI Estimated14-17.6%
62Platteville, WI Estimated13+1,200%
63Baraboo, WI Estimated12-7.7%
64Chippewa Falls, WI Estimated11+37.5%
64Howard, WI Estimated11n/a
64Superior, WI Estimated11+22.2%
67Reedsburg, WI Estimated10-54.5%
67Two Rivers, WI Estimated10+11.1%
69Marinette, WI Estimated7n/a
70Fort Atkinson, WI Estimated6+20%
70Greenfield, WI Estimated6+20%
70Racine, WI Estimated6-25%
70West Bend, WI Estimated6-45.5%
74Stevens Point, WI Estimated5+25%
74Whitewater, WI Estimated5n/a
76Cudahy, WI Estimated4n/a
76Little Chute, WI Estimated4-76.5%
76Middleton, WI Estimated4+33.3%
79Onalaska, WI Estimated30%
79Wisconsin Rapids, WI Estimated3-62.5%
81Allouez, WI Estimated20%
81Burlington, WI Estimated2-33.3%
81Marshfield, WI Estimated2-60%
81South Milwaukee, WI Estimated2n/a
81Waupun, WI Estimated2-71.4%
81Wauwatosa, WI Estimated20%
87Glendale, WI Estimated1n/a
87Greendale, WI Estimated1n/a
87Monroe, WI Estimated1n/a
87Whitefish Bay, WI Estimated1-50%
91Brown Deer, WI Estimated0-100%
91Elkhorn, WI Estimated0-100%
91Shorewood, WI Estimated0n/a
91West Allis, WI Estimated0-100%

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. 2 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2023 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/mw2023a.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 Wisconsin by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2023a.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 Wisconsin by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 24 Apr. 2024, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2023a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2023. 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 Wisconsin by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2023a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2023.

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 Wisconsin by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2023a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_wisconsin_by_2023,
  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 Wisconsin by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2023}},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2023a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2023. 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/mw2023a.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 Wisconsin by single-family housing units authorized by building permits, 2023
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/04/24
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2023a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2023.
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/mw2023a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Wisconsin by single-family housing units authorized by building permits using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

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

Madison, WI, with 332 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

West Allis, WI, with 0 in 2023.

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. 2 cities have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.

Single-family housing units authorized by building permits: other rankings

Cities in Wisconsin: more rankings