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 2024, at 250. West Allis, WI had the lowest, at 0. The median was 27. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest250Madison, WI
Lowest0West Allis, WI
Median2794 cities

Top 40 cities, 2024

Madison, WI: 250 countMadison, WI250Menomonee Falls, WI: 157 countMenomonee Falls, WI157Oconomowoc, WI: 130 countOconomowoc, WI130Appleton, WI: 129 countAppleton, WI129Sussex, WI: 129 countSussex, WI129DeForest, WI: 127 countDeForest, WI127Waunakee, WI: 125 countWaunakee, WI125Holmen, WI: 116 countHolmen, WI116Harrison, WI: 110 countHarrison, WI110Windsor, WI: 103 countWindsor, WI103River Falls, WI: 102 countRiver Falls, WI102Fitchburg, WI: 96 countFitchburg, WI96Grafton, WI: 94 countGrafton, WI94New Richmond, WI: 87 countNew Richmond, WI87Sun Prairie, WI: 82 countSun Prairie, WI82Kaukauna, WI: 81 countKaukauna, WI81Neenah, WI: 81 countNeenah, WI81Oregon, WI: 80 countOregon, WI80Franklin, WI: 79 countFranklin, WI79Kenosha, WI: 77 countKenosha, WI77Middleton, WI: 77 countMiddleton, WI77Verona, WI: 76 countVerona, WI76Milwaukee, WI: 72 countMilwaukee, WI72De Pere, WI: 68 countDe Pere, WI68Eau Claire, WI: 67 countEau Claire, WI67Janesville, WI: 65 countJanesville, WI65Bellevue, WI: 52 countBellevue, WI52Suamico, WI: 52 countSuamico, WI52Beloit, WI: 47 countBeloit, WI47Oshkosh, WI: 44 countOshkosh, WI44Brookfield, WI: 43 countBrookfield, WI43Green Bay, WI: 42 countGreen Bay, WI42Pewaukee, WI: 40 countPewaukee, WI40Mequon, WI: 38 countMequon, WI38Plover, WI: 38 countPlover, WI38Port Washington, WI: 38 countPort Washington, WI38Weston, WI: 38 countWeston, WI38Ashwaubenon, WI: 37 countAshwaubenon, WI37Mount Pleasant, WI: 34 countMount Pleasant, WI34Germantown, WI: 33 countGermantown, WI33Madison, WI: 250 countMadison, WI250Menomonee Falls, WI: 157 countMenomonee Falls, WI157Oconomowoc, WI: 130 countOconomowoc, WI130Appleton, WI: 129 countAppleton, WI129Sussex, WI: 129 countSussex, WI129DeForest, WI: 127 countDeForest, WI127Waunakee, WI: 125 countWaunakee, WI125Holmen, WI: 116 countHolmen, WI116Harrison, WI: 110 countHarrison, WI110Windsor, WI: 103 countWindsor, WI103River Falls, WI: 102 countRiver Falls, WI102Fitchburg, WI: 96 countFitchburg, WI96Grafton, WI: 94 countGrafton, WI94New Richmond, WI: 87 countNew Richmond, WI87Sun Prairie, WI: 82 countSun Prairie, WI82Kaukauna, WI: 81 countKaukauna, WI81Neenah, WI: 81 countNeenah, WI81Oregon, WI: 80 countOregon, WI80Franklin, WI: 79 countFranklin, WI79Kenosha, WI: 77 countKenosha, WI77Middleton, WI: 77 countMiddleton, WI77Verona, WI: 76 countVerona, WI76Milwaukee, WI: 72 countMilwaukee, WI72De Pere, WI: 68 countDe Pere, WI68Eau Claire, WI: 67 countEau Claire, WI67Janesville, WI: 65 countJanesville, WI65Bellevue, WI: 52 countBellevue, WI52Suamico, WI: 52 countSuamico, WI52Beloit, WI: 47 countBeloit, WI47Oshkosh, WI: 44 countOshkosh, WI44Brookfield, WI: 43 countBrookfield, WI43Green Bay, WI: 42 countGreen Bay, WI42Pewaukee, WI: 40 countPewaukee, WI40Mequon, WI: 38 countMequon, WI38Plover, WI: 38 countPlover, WI38Port Washington, WI: 38 countPort Washington, WI38Weston, WI: 38 countWeston, WI38Ashwaubenon, WI: 37 countAshwaubenon, WI37Mount Pleasant, WI: 34 countMount Pleasant, WI34Germantown, WI: 33 countGermantown, WI33
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

RankCities2024
count		Change on 2023
1Madison, WI Estimated250-24.7%
2Menomonee Falls, WI Estimated157+98.7%
3Oconomowoc, WI Estimated130+5.7%
4Appleton, WI Estimated129+34.4%
4Sussex, WI Estimated129+3.2%
6DeForest, WI Estimated127+49.4%
7Waunakee, WI Estimated125+25%
8Holmen, WI Estimated116+61.1%
9Harrison, WI Estimated110+34.1%
10Windsor, WI Estimated103+25.6%
11River Falls, WI Estimated102+52.2%
12Fitchburg, WI Estimated96+12.9%
13Grafton, WI Estimated94+51.6%
14New Richmond, WI Estimated87+38.1%
15Sun Prairie, WI Estimated82-13.7%
16Kaukauna, WI Estimated81+8%
16Neenah, WI Estimated81+88.4%
18Oregon, WI Estimated80+23.1%
19Franklin, WI Estimated79+61.2%
20Kenosha, WI Estimated77+54%
20Middleton, WI Estimated77+1,825%
22Verona, WI Estimated76+24.6%
23Milwaukee, WI Estimated72+18%
24De Pere, WI Estimated68+21.4%
25Eau Claire, WI Estimated67+63.4%
26Janesville, WI Estimated65+16.1%
27Bellevue, WI Estimated52-10.3%
27Suamico, WI Estimated52+62.5%
29Beloit, WI Estimated47+113.6%
30Oshkosh, WI Estimated44+100%
31Brookfield, WI Estimated43+126.3%
32Green Bay, WI Estimated42+13.5%
33Pewaukee, WI Estimated40-20%
34Mequon, WI Estimated38+22.6%
34Plover, WI Estimated38-17.4%
34Port Washington, WI Estimated38+31%
34Weston, WI Estimated38-5%
38Ashwaubenon, WI Estimated37+27.6%
39Mount Pleasant, WI Estimated34+25.9%
40Germantown, WI Estimated33-19.5%
41Fond du Lac, WI Estimated32+28%
41New Berlin, WI Estimated32+60%
43Howard, WI Estimated30+172.7%
44Muskego, WI Estimated29-19.4%
45Hobart, WI Estimated280%
45Pleasant Prairie, WI Estimated28+12%
45Waukesha, WI Estimated28-15.2%
48Beaver Dam, WI Estimated26+23.8%
49Manitowoc, WI Estimated25+4.2%
50Cedarburg, WI Estimated24-42.9%
51Marshfield, WI Estimated21+950%
51Menomonie, WI Estimated21+10.5%
53Fox Crossing, WI Estimated20-4.8%
53Onalaska, WI Estimated20+566.7%
53Richfield, WI Estimated20+17.6%
53Watertown, WI Estimated20+25%
57Menasha, WI Estimated19-29.6%
58Sheboygan, WI Estimated18-37.9%
58Wausau, WI Estimated18+28.6%
60Baraboo, WI Estimated17+41.7%
60Hartford, WI Estimated17-55.3%
60La Crosse, WI Estimated17-34.6%
60Salem Lakes, WI Estimated17-5.6%
64Chippewa Falls, WI Estimated16+45.5%
65Hartland, WI Estimated14-26.3%
65Hudson, WI Estimated14-12.5%
65Reedsburg, WI Estimated14+40%
65West Bend, WI Estimated14+133.3%
69Two Rivers, WI Estimated100%
70Little Chute, WI Estimated9+125%
71Oak Creek, WI Estimated8-78.9%
71Racine, WI Estimated8+33.3%
73South Milwaukee, WI Estimated7+250%
74Stevens Point, WI Estimated6+20%
75Whitewater, WI Estimated50%
75Wisconsin Rapids, WI Estimated5+66.7%
77Greenfield, WI Estimated4-33.3%
77Monroe, WI Estimated4+300%
79Burlington, WI Estimated3+50%
79Fort Atkinson, WI Estimated3-50%
81Allouez, WI Estimated20%
81Glendale, WI Estimated2+100%
81Platteville, WI Estimated2-84.6%
81Shorewood, WI Estimated2n/a
81Whitefish Bay, WI Estimated2+100%
86Brown Deer, WI Estimated1n/a
86Elkhorn, WI Estimated1n/a
86Marinette, WI Estimated1-85.7%
86Superior, WI Estimated1-90.9%
86Waupun, WI Estimated1-50%
86Wauwatosa, WI Estimated1-50%
92Cudahy, WI Estimated0-100%
92Greendale, WI Estimated0-100%
92West Allis, WI Estimated0n/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. 2 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2024 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/mw2024a.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. (2025). 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, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.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, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 1 May 2025, https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2024. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. 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, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2024.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) 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, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_wisconsin_by_2024,
  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, 2024}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2024. 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/mw2024a.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, 2024
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/05/01
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/Place/Midwest%20Region/mw2024a.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/single-family-building-permits/wisconsin-cities?period=2024.
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/mw2024a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Cities in Wisconsin by single-family housing units authorized by building permits using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"building_permit_single_family_units","level":"municipality","within":"Wisconsin","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=building_permit_single_family_units&level=municipality&within=Wisconsin&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

Madison, WI, with 250 in 2024, 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 2024.

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 2024 and are not ranked.

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

Cities in Wisconsin: more rankings