Texas and Florida were the states with most residential building permits issued in 2024, with roughly ******* and ******* permits issued, respectively. 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.

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1394 Thousand in May from 1422 Thousand in April 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.

Residential building permits in United States were in short demand in 2018, rising only *** percent across the country. Many large cities have reduced the number of residential building permits, such as Chicago, which handed out ** 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 **** and **** 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, ** percent of new residents in Orlando were between ages 25 and **, 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 *** 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 *** 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.

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).

Graph and download economic data for New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Units in Buildings with 5 Units or More (PERMIT5) from Jan 1960 to May 2025 about 5-unit structures +, permits, buildings, new, private, housing, and USA.

The number of single-family housing units that were authorized by building permits in the south of the United States decreased significantly between 2021 and 2024. Nevertheless, that was by far the region with most homes authorized, amounting to ******* permits in 2024. The number of house construction permits in the west also fell in the past years. Despite some seasonal variation, the overall number of residential building permits in the U.S. was higher than a decade earlier.

Most of the new housing permits for privately owned projects in the United States in 2023 were either single-family buildings. Nevertheless, the number of permits for multifamily construction projects with 5 housing units or more has risen significantly in the past decade. The south of the United States was the region where the highest number of single-family building permits were issued.

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.

United States - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Units in Buildings with 5 Units or More was 36.20000 Thous. of Units in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Units in Buildings with 5 Units or More reached a record high of 103.50000 in December of 1972 and a record low of 7.50000 in July of 2009. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Units in Buildings with 5 Units or More - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

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

Provides description, categorization, cost, and status of permitted work on properties. Includes history of permitted work.

Like other Assessor and Recorder data sets from First American, BlackKnight, ATTOM or HouseCanary, we provide both residential real estate and commercial restate data on homes, properties and parcels nationally.

Over 60M parcels reflecting over 330M permits over the past 20 years.

This comprehensive dataset contains building permits issued in the United States, providing valuable insights into residential and commercial construction activities. With over millions of records covering millions of homes, this dataset offers a vast opportunity for analysis and business growth.

Includes permits from various states across the US

Covers residential and commercial construction activities

Insights:

Residential vs. Commercial: Analyze the distribution of permits by type (residential, commercial) to understand local market trends.

Construction Activity: Track permit issuance over time to identify patterns and fluctuations in construction activity.

Geographic Patterns: Examine the concentration of permits by state, county, or city to reveal regional development opportunities.

Potential Applications:

Contractors and Builders: Utilize this dataset to identify potential projects, estimate job values, and stay up-to-date on permit requirements.

Local Governments: Analyze building permit data to inform land-use planning, zoning regulations, and infrastructure development.

Investors and Developers: Explore the types of construction projects being undertaken in specific areas, enabling informed investment decisions.

Value Propositions:

Understand Current Home Condition: Gain insights into the current state of homes by analyzing building permit data, allowing you to:

Identify areas with high concentrations of permits

Determine the scope and type of work being performed

Infer the potential for improved home values

Lender Lead Generation: Use this dataset to identify potential refinance candidates based on improved homes, enabling lenders to:

Target homeowners who have invested in their properties

Offer tailored financial solutions to capitalize on increased property value

Contractor Lead Generation:

Solar installers can target neighbors of solar customers, increasing the chances of successful referrals and upselling opportunities.

Pool cleaners can target new pools, identifying potential customers for maintenance and cleaning services.

Roofing contractors can target homes with recent roofing permits, offering replacement or repair services to homeowners.

Home Service Providers:

Handyman services can target homes with permit records, offering a range of maintenance and repair services.

Appliance installers can target new kitchens and bathrooms, identifying potential customers for appliance installation and integration.

Real Estate Professionals:

Realtors can analyze permit data to understand local market trends, adjusting their sales strategies to capitalize on areas with high construction activity.

Property managers can identify potential investment opportunities, using permit data to evaluate the feasibility of investment projects.

Data Analysis Ideas:

Trend Analysis: Identify trends in permit issuance by type (residential, commercial), project size, or location to forecast future demand.

Geospatial Analysis: Visualize permit data on a map to analyze the concentration of construction activity and identify areas with high growth potential.

Correlation Analysis: Examine the relationship between permit issuance and local economic indicators (e.g., GDP, unemployment rates) to understand the impact of construction on the local economy.

Business Use Cases:

Market Research: Analyze permit data to inform business decisions about market trends, competition, and growth opportunities.

Risk Assessment: Identify areas with high concentrations of permits and potential risks (e.g., building code non-compliance) to adjust business strategies accordingly.

Investment Analysis: Use permit data to evaluate the feasibility of investment projects in specific regions or markets.

Data Visualization Ideas:

Interactive Maps: Create interactive maps to visualize permit concentration by location, type, and project size.

Permit Issuance Charts: Plot permit issuance over time to illustrate trends and fluctuations in construction activity.

Bar Charts by Category: Display the distribution of permits by category (e.g., residential, commercial) to highlight market trends.

Additional Ideas:

Combine with other datasets: Integrate building permit data with other sources (e.g., crime statistics, weather patterns) to gain a more comprehensive understanding of local conditions.

Analyze by demographic factors: Examine how permit issuance varies across different demographics (e.g., age, income level) to understand market preferences and behaviors.

Develop predictive models: Create statistical mo...

In 2023, Texas had the highest construction spending by the state and local governments in the United States. Meanwhile, those government levels spent ** billion U.S. dollars in California, which was a much higher amount than in New York, Florida, or any other state. It is important to consider, nevertheless, that these figures do not show the total construction output of the territory, but only public spending by those government levels.What elements determine construction value?Several factors play into the value of the construction put in place such as the costs in which each project incurs. Contractors facing shortages in construction materials or a rise in their cost are some of the situations that can cause an increase in the construction value. It is also necessary to factor in the cost of labor of construction workers in non-supervisory and in managerial positions, as well as that of specialized workers such as engineers and architects. Finally, taxes and fees, the contractor’s profit, and other costs are also considered.Which states have the highest construction costs?Some of the U.S. cities with the highest costs for construction materials, installation, and composite correspond to the states with more value of construction put in place. Similarly, the wages in the private construction sector of those U.S. states, such as New York, California, and Texas, were also above the national average. Although Florida ranks low in the aforementioned aspects, it has been one of the states with the most residential building permits issued during the last couple of years.

Metros with growing job opportunities naturally have higher housing shortages than other metros. Syracuse, NY and Anchorage, AK, were the metros with the most acute housing need in the United States as of December 2024. For every new building permit, there were over ***** new jobs created during that period. The number of housing starts has increased in recent years, but in order for housing needs to be met, homes will need to be built in the metros where they are needed the most.

Between January and October 2019, the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area issued around 35,700 multifamily building permits and was the major metro area with the highest number of permits of this kind issued in the United States.

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

Housing Starts in the United States increased to 1321 Thousand units in June from 1263 Thousand units in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Housing Starts - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The statistic shows the number of multifamily housing units authorized by building permits in the United States in 2018, by region. In New England, 16,216 such building permits were issued. Multifamily housing units are buildings with two or more units in structure.

Graph and download economic data for New Private Housing Structures Authorized by Building Permits for El Paso County, TX (BPPRIV048141) from 1990 to 2024 about El Paso County, TX; El Paso; permits; buildings; TX; private; housing; and USA.

Abstract

Building Permit data from all U.S. states and Washington, D.C. as of October 2020.

Methodology

In the United States, building permits are required for new construction, renovation and remodeling projects. Building permits are issued by a local government building agency. If the project will take place in an incorporated city, the building permit will likely be issued by a city building department; alternatively, if the project will take place in an unincorporated city, the building permit will likely be issued by a county building department. The permitting process ensures that the construction project adheres to whatever building codes the jurisdiction has adopted. Building permits are considered public records.

CoreLogic collects, cleans, and normalizes building permit records that they collect from city and county building departments. CoreLogic provided the data to Stanford Libraries as pipe-delimited text files, which we have uploaded to Redivis for preview, extraction and light analysis.

Usage

For more information about included variables, please see CoreLogic_Building_Permits_Codebook.xlsx.

For detailed information about how many building permits were issued in the counties for which CoreLogic has data, please see Building_Permits_Counts_By_FIPS.xlsx.

For more information about the terms of use, please see

2023_corelogic_building_permits_end_user_license_agreement.pdf (under Supporting files).

Bulk Data Access

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