New housing permits by state: totals, rates and records
Texas authorized 210,217 new housing units in 2025 and Florida 178,297; together they account for 27% of the national total. Measured per resident, Idaho led the 50 states and DC from 2021 to 2025 at 9.5 units per 1,000 residents a year, and Rhode Island was lowest at 1.4.
State totals come straight from the Census Bureau's annual state files; they include rural places outside any metro area that require permits. The table lists every state with its 2025 count, its 2021–2025 rate per 1,000 residents, the share of units in buildings with five or more units, and its busiest year since 2004.
All 50 states and DC
| State | Units, 2025 | Per 1,000 a year | 5+ share | Busiest year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 210,217 | 7.8 | 31% | 2021 |
| Florida | 178,297 | 8.5 | 32% | 2005 |
| California | 103,856 | 2.8 | 41% | 2004 |
| North Carolina | 86,167 | 8.6 | 28% | 2006 |
| Georgia | 61,196 | 6.1 | 28% | 2005 |
| Arizona | 51,532 | 8.0 | 31% | 2005 |
| South Carolina | 45,862 | 8.6 | 12% | 2005 |
| Tennessee | 43,374 | 6.9 | 30% | 2021 |
| New York | 38,667 | 2.3 | 73% | 2015 |
| Washington | 34,913 | 5.5 | 48% | 2021 |
| Colorado | 33,754 | 7.1 | 44% | 2021 |
| Ohio | 33,640 | 2.6 | 37% | 2004 |
| Virginia | 33,094 | 4.2 | 38% | 2004 |
| Indiana | 29,076 | 4.1 | 28% | 2004 |
| New Jersey | 27,661 | 3.6 | 54% | 2005 |
| Utah | 26,775 | 8.5 | 34% | 2021 |
| Pennsylvania | 25,709 | 2.3 | 39% | 2004 |
| Wisconsin | 25,569 | 4.0 | 40% | 2004 |
| Michigan | 23,075 | 2.2 | 25% | 2004 |
| Minnesota | 20,947 | 4.6 | 45% | 2004 |
| Alabama | 19,061 | 4.0 | 17% | 2006 |
| Illinois | 18,551 | 1.5 | 40% | 2005 |
| Nevada | 18,540 | 6.2 | 28% | 2005 |
| Idaho | 17,944 | 9.5 | 21% | 2021 |
| Missouri | 17,474 | 3.1 | 31% | 2005 |
| Oklahoma | 15,513 | 3.5 | 14% | 2005 |
| Arkansas | 15,492 | 4.6 | 21% | 2005 |
| Kentucky | 14,940 | 3.4 | 36% | 2004 |
| Oregon | 14,839 | 4.2 | 38% | 2005 |
| Louisiana | 14,203 | 3.4 | 12% | 2006 |
| Iowa | 13,664 | 4.0 | 32% | 2005 |
| Maryland | 13,358 | 2.9 | 40% | 2005 |
| Massachusetts | 12,477 | 2.2 | 56% | 2005 |
| Nebraska | 10,596 | 5.2 | 43% | 2022 |
| Kansas | 10,299 | 3.2 | 24% | 2006 |
| Mississippi | 8,405 | 2.7 | 6.3% | 2007 |
| New Mexico | 7,747 | 3.8 | 18% | 2005 |
| Connecticut | 7,273 | 1.6 | 56% | 2005 |
| Maine | 6,979 | 4.7 | 21% | 2005 |
| Delaware | 6,468 | 6.6 | 11% | 2021 |
| South Dakota | 5,305 | 7.8 | 45% | 2022 |
| Montana | 5,258 | 5.1 | 40% | 2021 |
| New Hampshire | 5,030 | 3.5 | 28% | 2004 |
| West Virginia | 3,962 | 2.2 | 12% | 2005 |
| Hawaii | 3,708 | 2.7 | 34% | 2005 |
| North Dakota | 2,440 | 3.7 | 31% | 2014 |
| Vermont | 2,294 | 3.8 | 38% | 2004 |
| Wyoming | 2,238 | 4.0 | 16% | 2007 |
| Rhode Island | 1,738 | 1.4 | 23% | 2005 |
| District of Columbia | 1,591 | 5.5 | 92% | 2022 |
| Alaska | 848 | 1.4 | 22% | 2004 |
Rates rather than totals
The top of the per-resident ranking, Idaho (9.5), North Carolina (8.6), South Carolina (8.6), Utah (8.5), Florida (8.5), is a mix of large and small states in the South and Mountain West. California, third by total units, falls to 39th by rate. The lowest rates are in Rhode Island, Alaska, Illinois, Connecticut.
Record years
The busiest year since 2004 came in 2021 or later for 11 of the 50 states and DC: Colorado (2021), Delaware (2021), District of Columbia (2022), Idaho (2021), Montana (2021), Nebraska (2022), South Dakota (2022), Tennessee (2021), Texas (2021), Utah (2021), Washington (2021). Everywhere else the record still belongs to the mid-2000s boom.
The latest year
Between 2024 and 2025, 24 states and DC saw more units authorized and 27 saw fewer; the national count fell 3.1%. The largest increase was in Connecticut (23%), the largest decrease in New Jersey (21%). Small states swing more because one large apartment project weighs heavily in a small total.
Regions compared
The table sets each region's share of 2025 permits against its share of the population. A region whose permit share runs ahead of its population share is adding housing faster than the country as a whole.
| Region | Units, 2025 | Share of US units | Share of US residents | Per 1,000 a year, 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 127,828 | 8.9% | 17% | 2.5 |
| Midwest | 210,636 | 15% | 20% | 3.0 |
| South | 771,200 | 54% | 39% | 6.3 |
| West | 321,952 | 22% | 23% | 4.5 |
The South's permit share exceeds its population share by 15 percentage points; the Northeast's falls short by 8.
Above and below the national rate
Of the 50 states and DC, 18 authorized more units per 1,000 residents than the national 4.7 in 2021–2025. Of these, 15 are in the South or the West; the others are Maine, Nebraska, South Dakota.
When each state peaked
Counting each state's busiest year since 2004: 12 in 2004, 20 in 2005, 4 in 2006, 2 in 2007, 1 in 2014, 1 in 2015, 8 in 2021, 3 in 2022. The concentration in 2004 and 2005 reflects how widespread the mid-2000s boom was; the later peaks are those listed under record years above.
Against the 2005 benchmark
In 2025, 2 of the 50 states and DC authorized more units than in 2005, the national peak year: Montana, Nebraska. Furthest below its 2005 count was Illinois, at 28% of that year's 66,942 units.
Where the permits fall inside each state
In most states the bulk of new housing is authorized inside metro areas. The share is 100% in fully metropolitan places such as District of Columbia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and lowest in Delaware (38%), Wyoming (38%), Vermont (47%), Alaska (55%), where small towns and rural counties carry much of the count. Each state page lists its metro areas with their yearly averages and names the individual permit offices, cities, towns and unincorporated county areas, that issued the most units.
Small totals, large swings
The smallest totals in 2025 were in Alaska (848), District of Columbia (1,591), Rhode Island (1,738), Wyoming (2,238). At these levels a single apartment complex can change the yearly figure by a fifth or more, which is why the per-resident rates on this site are averaged over five years. The largest totals behave differently: Texas, Florida and California moved by 6.9%, 2.9% and 2.3% respectively between 2024 and 2025; among the four smallest totals the largest move was 18%.
Apartments by state
The five-plus share ranges from 92% in District of Columbia to 6.3% in Mississippi. New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts follow DC at the top; Mississippi, Delaware and West Virginia sit lowest.
Each state page shows its full history since 2004, its metro areas ranked by recent building, and how much of its count the Census Bureau had to estimate for permit offices that did not report. The state map colors every state by its rate.
Sources
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, annual county and state files 2004–2025; OMB metro area delineation of July 2023; US Census Bureau, Population Estimates, Vintage 2025. All figures computed by this site; see the counting rules.