| # | Metro | Permits per 1,000 | Units permitted (2025) | Change vs 2024 | Population | Median list price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wildwood, FL | 25.6 | 3,516 | −11.2% | 137,536 | $388,925 |
| 2 | Heber, UT | 21.6 | 1,695 | −3.3% | 78,517 | $1.59M |
| 3 | Jefferson, GA | 21.1 | 1,699 | −21.6% | 80,640 | $459,900 |
| 4 | Sarasota, FL | 20.4 | 17,639 | +18.1% | 865,031 | $457,450 |
| 5 | Franklin, KY | 20.0 | 396 | +94.1% | 19,786 | $318,575 |
| 6 | Lafayette, IN | 18.0 | 4,051 | +189.4% | 225,019 | $352,400 |
| 7 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 17.6 | 6,511 | −11.6% | 368,937 | $315,000 |
| 8 | Nantucket, MA | 17.5 | 250 | −4.6% | 14,299 | $5.87M |
| 9 | Wilmington, NC | 17.3 | 7,622 | −20.9% | 440,578 | $471,489 |
| 10 | Cape Coral, FL | 17.1 | 13,547 | −12.1% | 792,692 | $379,900 |
| 11 | Anderson Creek, NC | 15.9 | 2,176 | +4.6% | 136,503 | $340,996 |
| 12 | Fayetteville, AR | 15.9 | 8,935 | +13.4% | 563,436 | $441,000 |
| 13 | Seaford, DE | 15.7 | 3,885 | −10.8% | 247,799 | $550,000 |
| 14 | Punta Gorda, FL | 15.4 | 3,015 | −34.2% | 195,083 | $360,000 |
| 15 | Ocala, FL | 15.4 | 5,985 | −15.4% | 387,697 | $299,900 |
| 16 | Jackson, WY | 15.3 | 544 | +12.9% | 35,459 | $2.15M |
| 17 | Branson, MO | 15.2 | 860 | +159.8% | 56,382 | $274,950 |
| 18 | Rexburg, ID | 14.8 | 995 | +143.3% | 67,279 | $634,900 |
| 19 | St. George, UT | 14.8 | 2,805 | −10.7% | 189,827 | $615,000 |
| 20 | Statesboro, GA | 14.7 | 1,353 | +95.0% | 92,112 | $308,900 |
| 21 | Hilton Head, SC | 13.6 | 3,024 | −5.8% | 222,781 | $497,000 |
| 22 | Sherman, TX | 13.5 | 1,892 | −16.7% | 139,988 | $344,450 |
| 23 | Homosassa Springs, FL | 13.2 | 2,102 | −14.0% | 158,693 | $299,950 |
| 24 | Savannah, GA | 12.9 | 5,334 | +32.0% | 412,089 | $399,900 |
| 25 | Sevierville, TN | 12.8 | 1,270 | −20.3% | 98,802 | $589,500 |
Housing supply ranking · Census BPS 2025
Which metros issue the most building permits per resident?
Wildwood, FL issued the most residential building permits per resident of 919 U.S. metros in 2025: 25.6 housing units per 1,000 people (3,516 units, Census Building Permits Survey). Heber, UT (21.6) and Jefferson, GA (21.1) follow. The median metro permitted 2.5 units per 1,000 residents, using 2023 ACS 5-year population as the denominator.
Which metros issue the most building permits per resident?
Wildwood, FL leads at 25.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents in 2025, followed by Heber, UT at 21.6 and Jefferson, GA at 21.1. Only 48 of 919 metros reach 10 or more. The median metro sits at 2.5, so the leaders are permitting homes several times faster than a typical U.S. metro.
Florida has 6 of the top 25 metros, followed by Georgia with 3. A small metro can post a high rate from a few large subdivisions, so read the unit count next to the rate. The median list price column uses September 2026 Realtor.com data for context.
Which large metros are building the most?
Among 55 metros with at least one million residents, Raleigh, NC permits the most per resident at 12.1 units per 1,000, ahead of Austin, TX at 11.4 and Orlando, FL at 10.2. Buffalo, NY is lowest of the group at 1.1.
| # | Metro | Permits per 1,000 | Units permitted | Change vs 2024 | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raleigh, NC | 12.1 | 17,480 | −7.9% | 1,449,594 |
| 2 | Austin, TX | 11.4 | 26,964 | −16.5% | 2,357,497 |
| 3 | Orlando, FL | 10.2 | 27,758 | +17.4% | 2,721,022 |
| 4 | Nashville, TN | 9.4 | 19,210 | −3.7% | 2,043,713 |
| 5 | Houston, TX | 9.0 | 65,200 | −1.0% | 7,274,714 |
| 6 | Dallas, TX | 8.3 | 65,181 | −9.7% | 7,807,555 |
| 7 | Charlotte, NC | 8.2 | 22,168 | −14.6% | 2,712,818 |
| 8 | Jacksonville, FL | 8.0 | 13,183 | −12.1% | 1,645,707 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | 7.9 | 39,145 | −14.0% | 4,941,206 |
| 10 | Columbus, OH | 7.4 | 15,847 | +17.2% | 2,151,847 |
The lowest permit rates among metros with 1,000,000+ residents:
| Metro | Permits per 1,000 | Units permitted | Change vs 2024 | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo, NY | 1.1 | 1,314 | −6.9% | 1,161,385 |
| Hartford, CT | 1.2 | 1,327 | −38.1% | 1,144,012 |
| Honolulu, HI | 1.4 | 1,446 | −11.7% | 1,003,666 |
| Rochester, NY | 1.6 | 1,749 | −4.2% | 1,058,875 |
| San Francisco, CA | 1.7 | 7,804 | +33.9% | 4,653,593 |
The median rate for the 193 metros with at least 250,000 residents is 3.9 per 1,000.
Which metros permit the most homes in total?
Houston, TX permitted 65,200 housing units in 2025 and Dallas, TX permitted 65,181, the two largest totals. The top 10 metros by volume account for 27% of the 1,380,135 units permitted across all 919 metros on this list, yet none of those 10 makes the per-resident top 25.
| # | Metro | Units permitted | Permits per 1,000 | Change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston, TX | 65,200 | 9.0 | −1.0% |
| 2 | Dallas, TX | 65,181 | 8.3 | −9.7% |
| 3 | New York, NY | 47,828 | 2.4 | −18.4% |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | 39,145 | 7.9 | −14.0% |
| 5 | Atlanta, GA | 33,401 | 5.4 | −17.9% |
| 6 | Orlando, FL | 27,758 | 10.2 | +17.4% |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | 27,700 | 2.1 | +3.9% |
| 8 | Austin, TX | 26,964 | 11.4 | −16.5% |
| 9 | Tampa, FL | 22,819 | 7.0 | +8.7% |
| 10 | Charlotte, NC | 22,168 | 8.2 | −14.6% |
Where is permitting rising or falling fastest?
Permitted units across the 919 metros totaled 1,380,135 in 2025, down 3.1% from 2024. Among 193 metros with 250,000+ residents, 90 increased. Santa Cruz, CA rose the most, up 145.5%, while Toledo, OH fell the most, down 46.8%. Big percent swings usually start from a small prior-year base.
| # | Metro | Change | Units 2024 | Units 2025 | Permits per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Cruz, CA | +145.5% | 224 | 550 | 2.1 |
| 2 | Syracuse, NY | +115.2% | 925 | 1,991 | 3.0 |
| 3 | Santa Barbara, CA | +94.3% | 719 | 1,397 | 3.1 |
| 4 | Stamford, CT | +74.6% | 2,003 | 3,498 | 3.7 |
| 5 | Bend, OR | +66.6% | 1,874 | 3,122 | 12.3 |
| 6 | Huntington, WV | +63.6% | 280 | 458 | 1.2 |
| 7 | Merced, CA | +62.7% | 459 | 747 | 2.6 |
| 8 | Santa Rosa, CA | +61.9% | 1,039 | 1,682 | 3.5 |
| 9 | Durham, NC | +60.7% | 3,851 | 6,188 | 10.4 |
| 10 | Salinas, CA | +53.4% | 530 | 813 | 1.9 |
Across all 915 metros with both years on file, 448 permitted more units in 2025 than in 2024. Big percentage swings often come from one large apartment project in a single year, so check the unit counts as well as the percent.
Which metros build the least per resident?
Among 396 metros with at least 100,000 residents, Wheeling, WV permitted the fewest homes per resident at 0.04 units per 1,000 in 2025, or 6 units. 4 of the 10 lowest are in West Virginia. Another 4 metros under 100,000 residents report zero permitted units for the year.
| # | Metro | Permits per 1,000 | Units permitted | Change vs 2024 | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheeling, WV | 0.04 | 6 | −50.0% | 138,015 |
| 2 | Morgantown, WV | 0.13 | 18 | −28.0% | 140,724 |
| 3 | Weirton, WV | 0.16 | 18 | −5.3% | 115,566 |
| 4 | Decatur, IL | 0.33 | 34 | −46.0% | 102,591 |
| 5 | Corbin, KY | 0.47 | 70 | −13.6% | 149,625 |
| 6 | Johnstown, PA | 0.47 | 62 | −3.1% | 132,355 |
| 7 | St. Joseph, MO | 0.52 | 63 | −20.3% | 120,609 |
| 8 | Salem, OH | 0.54 | 55 | +12.2% | 101,203 |
| 9 | Charleston, WV | 0.56 | 116 | −1.7% | 207,456 |
| 10 | Ottawa, IL | 0.56 | 83 | −23.9% | 147,676 |
What does a high permit rate mean for investors?
A high permit rate means more new homes are on the way, which can cap rent and price growth once they finish. It can also signal job and population growth. Read it next to inventory, price cuts and migration for the same metro before treating it as a risk or an opportunity.
- Wildwood, FL permitted 3,516 units in 2025, 25.6 per 1,000 residents.
- Raleigh, NC leads metros of 1,000,000+ people at 12.1 per 1,000.
- Houston, TX permitted the most units of any metro: 65,200.
- Wheeling, WV permitted 0.04 per 1,000, the lowest among metros with 100,000+ residents.
For supply context, compare this list with inventory above 2019 levels, where people are moving, and buyer’s vs seller’s markets. National context lives in new construction statistics and housing starts statistics.
How is the building-permits-by-metro list calculated?
Universe: 919 CBSA rows in markets.json with 2025 Census BPS permit counts and a 2023 ACS 5-year population. One row per CBSA code, curated record first. Rate equals permitted housing units divided by population, times 1,000. Year-over-year change compares 2025 with 2024 permits. No imputed values.
- Start from CBSA rows in markets.json with a 2025
permits_annualcount and an ACS population. - Keep one row per CBSA code (curated record first).
- Rate =
permits_annual÷acs_population× 1,000, stored aspermits_per_1k. - Change = 2025 units versus 2024 units (
permits_prev); blank when 2024 is missing. - Sort by rate descending for the main list; ascending for the low list.
Permit counts measure authorized housing units, not starts or completions. The population denominator is the 2023 ACS 5-year estimate, so very fast-growing metros may look a little higher than a current-year population would show. The pooled rate across all 919 metros is 4.4 per 1,000 residents.
Frequently asked questions
Which city has the most building permits per capita?
Among 919 metros, Wildwood, FL has the highest 2025 rate at 25.6 permitted housing units per 1,000 residents, per Census Building Permits Survey counts and 2023 ACS 5-year population. Heber, UT and Jefferson, GA rank second and third on the same measure.
Which large metro is building the most homes?
By volume, Houston, TX permitted 65,200 units in 2025, just ahead of Dallas, TX at 65,181. Per resident, Raleigh, NC leads metros of one million or more at 12.1 units per 1,000 people, about 5 times the median metro. New York, NY ranks third by volume.
How many building permits were issued in 2025?
The 919 metros on this page permitted 1,380,135 housing units in 2025, down 3.1% from 1,425,011 in 2024. That is a sum of Census BPS metro counts, not the seasonally adjusted national rate that Census publishes each month. Areas outside these metros are not included.
What is a good number of building permits per 1,000 residents?
There is no official benchmark. The median metro here permitted 2.5 units per 1,000 residents and the pooled rate across all 919 metros is 4.4. Metros above 10 are building very fast relative to their current population; 48 metros cleared that mark in 2025.
Does a high permit rate mean home prices will fall?
Not by itself. New supply can slow price and rent growth when it finishes, but fast-permitting metros often also gain jobs and residents. Check inventory, price cuts and migration for the same metro before drawing a conclusion about where prices are headed.
Where does building permit data come from?
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counts new privately owned housing units authorized by local permit offices. WealthyBud stores 2025 and 2024 annual metro totals and divides by 2023 ACS 5-year population to get the per-1,000 rate shown here. Sources are linked below.
Key takeaways
- Wildwood, FL leads 2025 building permits per resident at 25.6 units per 1,000.
- The median metro permitted 2.5 units per 1,000 residents across 919 CBSAs.
- Raleigh, NC leads metros of one million or more at 12.1 per 1,000.
- Houston, TX permitted the most units in total: 65,200.
- Total permitted units across these metros were down 3.1% from 2024, at 1,380,135.
For education only, not investment advice. Permit counts show authorized units, which may not all be built.