This dataset contains data on permits for residential construction collected in the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey. Data is aggregated to the County level. Data is only for final permits, not preliminary permits. Final permit data is published in May of the following year. Annual data are available from 1980 through the most recent reporting year, and may also contain imputed values. This dataset is part of the State of the Cities Data Systems (SOCDS).

Housing permit data is derived from reports and publications compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau's Residential Construction Statistics Division. Municipalities provide the U.S. Census Bureau with tabulations of the number of housing units authorized, according to types of structures. In the few cases where municipalities reported building permit approvals for some months but not for all 12 months, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the total yearly number of units approved based on past years’ approvals.

Graph and download economic data for New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Units in Buildings with 2-4 Units (PERMIT24) from Jan 1960 to Jun 2025 about permits, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1393 Thousand in June from 1394 Thousand in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Building Permits - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Key information about US Building Permits

• United States Building Permits data was reported at 111,517.000 Unit in Jan 2025.
• This records a decrease from the previous number of 112,592.000 Unit for Dec 2024.
• US Building Permits data is updated monthly, averaging 112,592.000 Unit from Jan 1959 to Jan 2025, with 793 observations.
• The data reached an all-time high of 214,600.000 Unit in Jun 1972 and a record low of 36,280.000 Unit in Jan 2011.
• US Building Permits data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data.
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table: Building Permits: Monthly.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR
Housing Permits (LU3)

FULL MEASURE NAME
Permitted housing units

LAST UPDATED
February 2023

DESCRIPTION
Housing growth is measured in terms of the number of units that local jurisdictions permit throughout a given year. A permitted unit is a unit that a city or county has authorized for construction.

DATA SOURCE
California Housing Foundation/Construction Industry Research Board (CIRB) - https://www.cirbreport.org/
Construction Review report (1967-2022)

Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) – Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) - https://data.bayareametro.gov/Development/HCD-Annual-Progress-Report-Jurisdiction-Summary/nxbj-gfv7
Housing Permits Database (2014-2021)

Census Bureau Building Permit Survey - https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/County/
Building permits by county (annual, monthly)

CONTACT INFORMATION
vitalsigns.info@bayareametro.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator)
Bay Area housing permits data by single/multi family come from the California Housing Foundation/Construction Industry Research Board (CIRB). Affordability breakdowns from 2014 to 2021 come from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) – Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Housing Permits Database.

Single-family housing units include detached, semi-detached, row house and town house units. Row houses and town houses are included as single-family units when each unit is separated from the adjacent unit by an unbroken ground-to-roof party or fire wall. Condominiums are included as single-family units when they are of zero-lot-line or zero-property-line construction; when units are separated by an air space; or, when units are separated by an unbroken ground-to-roof party or fire wall. Multi-family housing includes duplexes, three-to-four-unit structures and apartment-type structures with five units or more. Multi-family also includes condominium units in structures of more than one living unit that do not meet the single-family housing definition.

Each multi-family unit is counted separately even though they may be in the same building. Total units is the sum of single-family and multi-family units. County data is available from 1967 whereas city data is available from 1990. City data is only available for incorporated cities and towns. All permits in unincorporated cities and towns are included under their respective county’s unincorporated total. Permit data is not available for years when the city or town was not incorporated.

Affordable housing is the total number of permitted units affordable to low and very low income households. Housing affordable to very low income households are households making below 50% of the area median income. Housing affordable to low income households are households making between 50% and 80% of the area median income. Housing affordable to moderate income households are households making below 80% and 120% of the area median income. Housing affordable to above moderate income households are households making above 120% of the area median income.

Permit data is missing for the following cities and years:
Clayton, 1990-2007
Lafayette, 1990-2007
Moraga, 1990-2007
Orinda, 1990-2007
San Ramon, 1990

Building permit data for metropolitan areas for each year is the sum of non-seasonally adjusted monthly estimates from the Census Building Permit Survey. The Bay Area values are the sum of the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward MSA and the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA. The counties included in these areas are: San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Benito.

Permit values reflect the number of units permitted in each respective year. Note that the data columns come from difference sources. The columns (SFunits, MFunits, TOTALunits, SF_Share and MF_Share) are sourced from CIRB. The columns (VeryLowunits, Lowunits, Moderateunits, AboveModerateunits, VeryLow_Share, Low_Share, Moderate_Share, AboveModerate_Share, Affordableunits and Affordableunits_Share) are sourced from the ABAG Housing Permits Database. Due to the slightly different methodologies that exist within each of those datasets, the total units from each of the two sources might not be consistent with each other.

As shown, three different data sources are used for this analysis of housing permits issued in the Bay Area. Data from the Construction Industry Research Board (CIRB) represents the best available data source for examining housing permits issued over time in cities and counties across the Bay Area, dating back to 1967. In recent years, Annual Progress Report (APR) data collected by the California Department of Housing and Community Development has been available for analyzing housing permits issued by affordability levels. Since CIRB data is only available for California jurisdictions, the U.S. Census Bureau provides the best data source for comparing housing permits issued across different metropolitan areas. Notably, annual permit totals for the Bay Area differ across these three data sources, reflecting the limitations of needing to use different data sources for different purposes.

Note: *: Every ten years the Bureau of Census selects a new universe sample for the survey of building permit data. Starting in 2015, it will collect permit information from 104 municipalities on a monthly basis. Towns coded as "na" do not provide data.

The table Building Permit Table 1.B is part of the dataset Maryland Census Data, available at https://redivis.com/datasets/5xxe-c5a3fw2e2. It contains 22 rows across 36 variables.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits: 1-Unit Structures for California (CABP1FH) from Jan 1988 to Jun 2025 about privately owned, 1-unit structures, permits, family, buildings, CA, housing, and USA.

New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the West Census Region was 26871.00000 Units in March of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the West Census Region reached a record high of 54217.00000 in June of 2005 and a record low of 7118.00000 in February of 2011. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the West Census Region - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the South Census Region was 70071.00000 Units in March of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the South Census Region reached a record high of 98653.00000 in March of 2006 and a record low of 18512.00000 in November of 2008. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the South Census Region - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on August of 2025.

pacific census division - New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the Pacific Census Division was 11709.00000 Units in March of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, pacific census division - New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the Pacific Census Division reached a record high of 31848.00000 in June of 1988 and a record low of 3935.00000 in February of 2009. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for pacific census division - New Private Housing Authorized by Building Permits for the Pacific Census Division - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Structures Authorized by Building Permits for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO (MSA) (DENV708BPPRIV) from Jan 1988 to Jun 2025 about Denver, CO, permits, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits for Texas (TXBPPRIV) from Jan 1988 to Jun 2025 about permits, buildings, new, TX, private, housing, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits for Florida (FLBPPRIV) from Jan 1988 to Jun 2025 about permits, buildings, FL, new, private, housing, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units in the South Census Region (PERMITS) from Jan 1960 to Jun 2025 about South Census Region, permits, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Structures Authorized by Building Permits for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (MSA) (LOSA106BPPRIV) from Jan 1988 to Jun 2025 about Los Angeles, permits, buildings, CA, new, private, housing, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits for Massachusetts (MABPPRIV) from Jan 1988 to Apr 2025 about MA, permits, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits for the Midwest Census Region (CMWRBPPRIV) from Jan 1988 to Jun 2025 about Midwest Census Region, permits, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits for Tennessee (TNBPPRIVSA) from Jan 1988 to Jun 2025 about permits, TN, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.