Building Permits by State and Metro Area

State and Metro Permit Data

View the latest national, regional and metro-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau on residential building permits. The data illustrate year-to-date (YTD) numbers of building permits for both multifamily and single-family homes, total building permits, and YTD comparisons of the previous year’s pace of permits issued. Download the State and MSA Permit Report

Housing Permit Data Portal

NAHB’s new Housing Permit Data Portal allows for easy access of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s monthly building permits survey. Users can customize their search to view specific data at the metro, county or local builders association level.

The information available in the portal is estimated permit data such as the number of buildings, units and valuation for single-family and multifamily housing. Users can start by using the search box to find specific geographies. The chart at the bottom of the page illustrates the YTD single-family permits, and it can also show side-by-side comparisons of multiple geographical areas selected by the user. View the Portal

Single-Family Permits in 2025

After showing some resilience in 2024, permitting activity gradually lost momentum throughout 2025 as elevated mortgage rates and ongoing affordability constraints weighed on buyer demand. By year’s end, the pace of single-family permit issuance was below the level recorded in 2024, signaling a pullback in new construction. Over the year, the number of single-family permits issued nationwide reached 909,280.

Examining permits at the state level, the ten states issuing the highest number of single-family permits accounted for 61.8% of all single-family permits issued nationwide. In 2025, Texas continued to lead the country with 140,002 permits issued, although this represented an 11.7% decline compared with 2024. Florida, the second-highest state, saw permits fall by 10.3%, while North Carolina, ranked third, experienced a decline of 6.9%.

Multifamily Permits in 2025

Multifamily permitting activity was strong, with 516,886 permits issued nationwide and marking a 5.6% increase from the 2024 total.

The ten states issuing the highest number of multifamily permits in 2025 accounted for 60.5% of all multifamily permits issued nationwide. Over the course of 2025, Texas, which issued the most multifamily permits, recorded a modest increase of 1.7%. Florida, the second-highest state, posted a stronger gain of 29.6%, while California, ranking third, saw multifamily permits rise by 21.6%.