Research · Building Permits Survey 2025
Building permits in 2025: where America permitted new homes
Permit offices authorized 1,431,616 new housing units across the United States in 2025, 4.2 per 1,000 residents, up 3.3% from 2019; 64% were single-family houses.
Which states permit the most new homes per resident?
| State | Units permitted | Per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 17,944 | 8.8 |
| South Carolina | 45,862 | 8.2 |
| North Carolina | 86,167 | 7.7 |
| Florida | 178,297 | 7.6 |
| Utah | 26,775 | 7.6 |
| Arizona | 51,532 | 6.8 |
| Texas | 210,217 | 6.6 |
| Delaware | 6,468 | 6.1 |
| Tennessee | 43,374 | 5.9 |
| South Dakota | 5,305 | 5.7 |
| Nevada | 18,540 | 5.6 |
| Colorado | 33,754 | 5.6 |
| Georgia | 61,196 | 5.4 |
| Nebraska | 10,596 | 5.3 |
| Arkansas | 15,492 | 5.0 |
| Maine | 6,979 | 4.9 |
| Montana | 5,258 | 4.6 |
| Washington | 34,913 | 4.4 |
| Wisconsin | 25,569 | 4.3 |
| Iowa | 13,664 | 4.2 |
| Indiana | 29,076 | 4.2 |
| Wyoming | 2,238 | 3.8 |
| Oklahoma | 15,513 | 3.8 |
| Virginia | 33,094 | 3.7 |
| Alabama | 19,061 | 3.7 |
| New Mexico | 7,747 | 3.6 |
| Minnesota | 20,947 | 3.6 |
| Vermont | 2,294 | 3.6 |
| New Hampshire | 5,030 | 3.6 |
| Oregon | 14,839 | 3.5 |
| Kansas | 10,299 | 3.5 |
| Kentucky | 14,940 | 3.2 |
| Louisiana | 14,203 | 3.1 |
| North Dakota | 2,440 | 3.1 |
| New Jersey | 27,661 | 2.9 |
| Mississippi | 8,405 | 2.8 |
| Ohio | 33,640 | 2.8 |
| Missouri | 17,474 | 2.8 |
| California | 103,856 | 2.6 |
| Hawaii | 3,708 | 2.6 |
| District of Columbia | 1,591 | 2.3 |
| Michigan | 23,075 | 2.3 |
| West Virginia | 3,962 | 2.2 |
| Maryland | 13,358 | 2.1 |
| Connecticut | 7,273 | 2.0 |
| Pennsylvania | 25,709 | 2.0 |
| New York | 38,667 | 1.9 |
| Massachusetts | 12,477 | 1.7 |
| Rhode Island | 1,738 | 1.6 |
| Illinois | 18,551 | 1.5 |
| Alaska | 848 | 1.2 |
Source: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2025, summed by state; PEP Vintage 2025 · Census Building Permits Survey
Which cities are building the most?
Places of 25,000 or more residents with twelve months of 2025 permits, by units per 1,000 residents. The full ranking.
| Place | Units | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| West Lafayette, IN | 2,307 | 50.4 |
| Gallatin, TN | 2,267 | 41.5 |
| Pooler, GA | 1,223 | 37.4 |
| Garner, NC | 1,512 | 36.4 |
| Bentonville, AR | 2,114 | 33.5 |
| Haines City, FL | 1,453 | 31.6 |
| North Port, FL | 2,688 | 27.8 |
| Washington, UT | 979 | 26.4 |
| Saratoga Springs, UT | 1,582 | 25.8 |
| Westfield, IN | 1,681 | 25.4 |
| Tarpon Springs, FL | 633 | 24.7 |
| Apache Junction, AZ | 1,124 | 24.6 |
| Frisco, TX | 5,652 | 23.9 |
| Littleton, CO | 1,086 | 23.5 |
| Bella Vista, AR | 786 | 22.8 |
Source: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2025; PEP Vintage 2025 · Census Building Permits Survey
How was this measured, and what are its limits?
The Building Permits Survey counts housing units in the permits each local office issued in the year, as reported to the Census Bureau; some offices report for part of the year, and places with partial reports are left out of the city table. A permit is not a finished home: some are never built, and areas that need no permit are not counted.
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections