National ranking · Top 100 · data updated August 2026

The 100 most-permits

This list ranks the top 100 US cities by value, drawn straight from Official U.S. government data. Use the leading value, cutoff, state mix, and full table together to see which places lead this single measure and what it takes to make the list.

Compiled by PlainCities

100
Cities ranked: #1
Fort Worth: 13,148
Value

Data updated August 2026

The headline finding

Fort Worth, TX tops this list at 13,148 value, making the top 100 requires at least 1,450.

Fort Worth, TX
#1 · 13,148: 1,450
#100 cutoff: 100
cities in this ranking

Every figure here is read live from the same Official U.S. government data data rendered in the table below.

These 100 cities span 29 states. Texas has the most entries on this list: 23 (23% of the total). Texas state page.

How we calculate the state breakdown

The state count and leader above are a live tally of this list's own 100 rows, grouped by state. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

Texas (TX)

23
Florida (FL)

15
Arizona (AZ)

12
California (CA)

7
North Carolina (NC)

5
Nevada (NV)

4
Tennessee (TN)

3
South Carolina (SC)

3
Idaho (ID)

3
Nebraska (NE)

2

What this shows Texas leads with 23 of the 100 spots on this list.

#	City	Value	Population
1	Fort WorthTexas	13,148	941,311
2	HoustonTexas	11,898	2,300,419
3	Los AngelesCalifornia	10,488	3,857,897
4	AustinTexas	9,444	967,862
5	PhoenixArizona	8,997	1,624,832
6	AtlantaGeorgia	8,109	499,287
7	Nashville-DavidsonTennessee	6,799	684,298
8	San DiegoCalifornia	6,615	1,385,061
9	JacksonvilleFlorida	6,398	961,739
10	San AntonioTexas	6,258	1,458,954
11	ColumbusOhio	6,084	906,480
12	DallasTexas	6,038	1,299,553
13	MiamiFlorida	6,023	446,663
14	SeattleWashington	5,895	741,440
15	RaleighNorth Carolina	5,044	470,763
16	Oklahoma CityOklahoma	4,398	688,693
17	ChicagoIllinois	4,371	2,707,648
18	OmahaNebraska	4,360	488,197
19	CelinaTexas	4,357	27,141
20	DenverColorado	3,994	713,734
21	FulshearTexas	3,970	26,986
22	McKinneyTexas	3,910	202,314
23	Port St. LucieFlorida	3,798	220,453
24	IrvineCalifornia	3,730	308,160
25	Las VegasNevada	3,590	650,873
26	SurpriseArizona	3,490	149,519
27	Cape CoralFlorida	3,397	206,387
28	HendersonNevada	3,286	324,523
29	GoodyearArizona	3,195	102,891
30	BuckeyeArizona	3,111	99,844
31	Palm BayFlorida	3,062	125,273
32	PhiladelphiaPennsylvania	2,962	1,582,432
33	Kansas CityMissouri	2,878	508,233
34	MadisonWisconsin	2,812	275,568
35	DurhamNorth Carolina	2,793	288,465
36	MesaArizona	2,735	507,478
37	RenoNevada	2,723	268,959
38	Jersey CityNew Jersey	2,601	289,691
39	North PortFlorida	2,578	80,512
40	TampaFlorida	2,546	393,389
41	RichmondVirginia	2,540	227,595
42	New BraunfelsTexas	2,438	98,700
43	ConroeTexas	2,425	96,976
44	AuroraColorado	2,374	390,201
45	GeorgetownTexas	2,354	78,803
46	PrincetonTexas	2,278	20,966
47	FayettevilleArkansas	2,236	97,227
48	ColumbiaSouth Carolina	2,148	138,019
49	Winston-SalemNorth Carolina	2,134	250,887
50	Sioux FallsSouth Dakota	2,119	197,642
51	KnoxvilleTennessee	2,096	193,721
52	Palm CoastFlorida	2,095	94,362
53	North Las VegasNevada	2,078	270,773
54	ClarksvilleTennessee	2,069	171,897
55	ApexNorth Carolina	2,051	67,765
56	SacramentoCalifornia	2,043	524,802
57	San JoseCalifornia	1,998	990,054
58	MaricopaArizona	1,991	62,986
59	DentonTexas	1,976	146,987
60	OrlandoFlorida	1,970	311,732
61	GreensboroNorth Carolina	1,954	298,564
62	Round RockTexas	1,937	124,288
63	DetroitMichigan	1,919	636,644
64	RosevilleCalifornia	1,905	152,438
65	PeoriaArizona	1,901	194,338
66	El PasoTexas	1,887	678,147
67	St. CloudFlorida	1,861	61,963
68	GilbertArizona	1,858	271,118
69	BakersfieldCalifornia	1,853	408,366
70	LubbockTexas	1,852	261,078
71	Queen CreekArizona	1,812	66,369
72	BostonMassachusetts	1,789	663,972
73	KyleTexas	1,768	52,439
74	WashingtonDistrict of Columbia	1,737	672,079
75	NewarkNew Jersey	1,736	307,188
76	Haines CityFlorida	1,733	31,156
77	MansfieldTexas	1,731	75,398
78	LincolnNebraska	1,730	291,932
79	Idaho FallsIdaho	1,729	66,672
80	McAllenTexas	1,722	143,789
81	Fort MyersFlorida	1,721	91,730
82	ArlingtonTexas	1,703	394,769
83	PortlandOregon	1,700	642,715
84	North CharlestonSouth Carolina	1,698	117,460
85	LewisvilleTexas	1,690	128,313
86	WestfieldIndiana	1,674	51,109
87	PittsburghPennsylvania	1,664	303,620
88	St. PetersburgFlorida	1,613	260,646
89	Grand PrairieTexas	1,582	198,564
90	MadisonAlabama	1,559	58,335
91	AvondaleArizona	1,555	90,644
92	MeridianIdaho	1,551	124,865
93	MaranaArizona	1,544	54,487
94	Daytona BeachFlorida	1,506	75,924
95	TucsonArizona	1,505	543,348
96	MidlandTexas	1,504	133,998
97	GreerSouth Carolina	1,488	39,191
98	HuntsvilleAlabama	1,485	218,814
99	TallahasseeFlorida	1,460	199,696
100	NampaIdaho	1,450	106,289

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2023 vintage, released December 2024), the underlying dataset behind this ranking spans 28,702 U.S. incorporated places and census-designated places nationally; this page shows the top 100 by value. See our methodology for the full data-collection process.

Source: Official U.S. government data. Verify directly with the source agency: U.S. Census Bureau, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES.

Questions about the most-permits list

What does this most-permits ranking measure?

It orders cities by value using Official U.S. government data. It is a single-metric comparison, not an overall score for quality of life or a recommendation about where to live.

Are metropolitan areas included?

The rows are individual cities or Census-defined places covered by the named source, not combined metropolitan areas. The page states any extra coverage or population rule that applies to this specific value ranking.

Can I download and verify the ranking?

Yes. The CSV above contains the same ranked rows shown in the table. The page names the source and vintage, links to the source agency, and explains category-specific caveats before the data.

What to do with the most-permits list

Use this ranking to narrow the field, then dig into the specific places you're considering.

Fort Worth, TX leads this list at 13,148 -- see its full profile before drawing conclusions from the rank alone. Fort Worth profile
Put two specific cities side by side across every tracked metric, not just this one ranking. Compare cities
See every ranked city in Texas together, not just how Fort Worth compares nationally. Texas state page

This ranking reflects the single value metric only -- it is not a composite of everything that makes a city a good fit.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Browse all city profiles → | Explore city rankings →

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

The 100 most-permits

Which states show up most

Questions about the most-permits list

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