Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1459 Thousand in February from 1473 Thousand in January 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.

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 Feb 2025 about permits, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.

Building Permits MoM in the United States decreased to -1 percent in February from -0.60 percent in January of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States Building Permits MoM.

In February 2025, there were less building permits for new residential construction in the United States a year earlier. Despite some fluctuations, the number of building permits issued in the past couple of years has been falling. The number of U.S. new home construction starts has also been lower than in previous years.

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.

Residential building permits in United States were in short demand in 2018, rising only 2.8 percent across the country. Many large cities have reduced the number of residential building permits, such as Chicago, which handed out 22 percent less permits in 2018 than the previous year. Building permits may specifically apply to large housing units with multiple living spaces, to single family houses. Before construction can begin on any new or existing building, a permit must be obtained from the appropriate city council. Building permit numbers have increased significantly in both Houston, Texas and Orlando, Florida metro areas, with 34.5 and 51.5 percent more permits issued in 2018 than 2017, respectively.

Homes are where the heat is Generally speaking, the construction of new homes can be a good indicator of how local economies are fairing, as it can mean that individuals have acquired enough wealth to own their own home or businesses are expanding. The 2018 residential building permit figures provide some insight into the current demographic of cities, particularly with regards to the job market. For instance, in the „snowbird“state of Florida, 45 percent of new residents in Orlando were between ages 25 and 54, and presumably their careers still play a large role. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sandford metro area is within close range of engineering firms such as Lockheed Martin, as well as new tech companies, which offer higher salaries and better prospects than other industries. Florida unemployment continues to decline and dropped to 3.6 percent in 2018.
Incidentally, cities that tend to be popular for Americans in their early twenties, tend to be the cities that are reducing their number of new residential building permits (Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; and Los Angeles, California). But this does not mean that these cities are in financial trouble. Chicago’s GDP is steadily growing and unemployment in Illinois was at 4.3 percent in 2018. Bigger and denser cities tend to attract younger groups as they can walk from location to location and remain amongst the excitement that cities have to offer.

There were approximately 982,000 building permits for single-family housing units granted in the United States in 2024. That number was lower than in 2021, when the number of building permits peaked. However, those figures increased again in 2024. The numbers still remain considerably lower than its 2005 peak with 1.68 million building permits.

What is considered a single-family home? Single-family homes are detached, independent properties built as the residence for one person, family, or household. In 2025, it is expected that the number of single-family housing units under construction in the United States will increase to over 1.1 million. In 2024, New York was one of the cities in the U.S. with the highest construction costs for residential single-family buildings. However, there were significant differences between the costs of a multi-family and a single-detached home. What is the price of a single-family home in the United States? Price is one of the main factors in deciding whether to buy an existing or new home. In 2023, the median sales price of an existing single-family home in the United States increased slightly, reaching 389,300 U.S. dollars. However, the price of single-family houses can vary a lot depending on its location and other factors.

Graph and download economic data for New Nonresidential Building Authorized by Building Permits for United States (M0256AUSM398NNBR) from Jan 1942 to Jun 1954 about nonresidential, permits, buildings, new, and USA.

What is Building Permit Data?

Building Permit Data is a detailed repository of records related to the permits issued by local authorities for various construction-related projects. These permits are mandatory for any significant building activity, ensuring that all developments comply with local zoning laws, safety standards, and building codes.

This data typically includes a wealth of information such as:

• Permit Types: Whether it’s a new construction, renovation, or demolition, the type of permit issued is recorded.
• Issuance Dates: The date when the permit was issued, providing a timeline of construction activities.
• Project Descriptions: Detailed descriptions of the construction or renovation work being undertaken.
• Contractor Information: Information about the contractors responsible for the work, offering insights into the key players in local development.
• Valuation Estimates: Estimated costs associated with the projects, crucial for understanding the scale and economic impact of the developments.

This granular level of detail makes building permit data an indispensable resource for various applications.

Graph and download economic data for New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Single-Family Units (PERMIT1) from Jan 1960 to Feb 2025 about 1-unit structures, permits, family, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.

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.

The statistic represents the value of new privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in the United States in 2018, by select state. In that year, these new privately owned housing units were valued at 34.7 billion U.S. dollars in Texas.

Data for all Commercial Building Permits issued since 2000, including status and work performed. Update Frequency: Daily

The Department of Buildings (DOB) issues permits for construction and demolition activities in the City of New York. The construction industry must submit an application to DOB with details of the construction job they would like to complete. The primary types of application, aka job type, are: New Building, Demolition, and Alterations Type 1, 2, and 3. Each job type can have multiple work types, such as general construction, boiler, elevator, and plumbing. Each work type will receive a separate permit. (See the DOB Job Application Filings dataset for information about each job application.) Each row/record in this dataset represents the life cycle of one permit for one work type. The dataset is updated daily with new records, and each existing record will be updated as the permit application moves through the approval process to reflect the latest status of the application.

A list of job applications filed for a particular day and associated data. Prior weekly and monthly reports are archived at DOB and are not available on NYC Open Data.

Texas and Florida were the states with most residential building permits issued in 2024. On the other side of the spectrum, Alaska and Rhode Island issued fewer permits than any other state. The overall number of building permits for new residential construction in the U.S. has fluctuated a lot in the past years.

Understanding local development trends and making informed real estate decisions requires access to reliable and comprehensive data. Among the most valuable sources of information in this regard is Building Permit Data.

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

A list of permits issued for a particular day and associated data. Prior weekly and monthly reports are archived at DOB and are not available on NYC Open Data.

In 2024, there were roughly 490,000 building permits for multifamily housing units granted in the United States. The number of housing authorized that year was lower than in previous years, given that multifamily housing permits have fallen two years in a row. In contrast, the number of building permits for single-family housing units did not have such a sharp decrease. Multifamily housing projects on the increase Multifamily homes refer to buildings that contain at least two housing units, including apartment buildings and duplexes. In 2022, building work had started on over half a million multifamily housing units in the United States – the highest number recorded in the past decades, but those numbers have fallen significantly in the years after that. However, it is expected that multifamily housing starts will grow again in 2025. What are the trends in size of different properties? One of the noticeable differences between multifamily and single-family housing is the size of the units. In 2023, the median size of a multifamily unit in the United States was over 1,000 square feet. In contrast, the median size of a single-family housing unit that same year was well over twice as large.