HousingPermits

Metro area in South Carolina · part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC combined area

Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC

The Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro area authorized 8,255 new housing units in 2025, the largest total of the 8 metro areas based in South Carolina. Buildings with five or more units accounted for 11% of the units authorized in 2021–2025, the second-lowest share among the 56 metro areas with 1 million or more residents. Per 1,000 residents it authorized 8.9 units a year in 2021–2025, 1.9 times the national rate of 4.7.

03,0006,0009,00012k2004: 6,251 units (5,590 single-family, 60 in 2–4 unit, 601 in 5+ unit buildings)2005: 6,993 units (6,398 single-family, 66 in 2–4 unit, 529 in 5+ unit buildings)2006: 7,122 units (6,199 single-family, 20 in 2–4 unit, 903 in 5+ unit buildings)2007: 6,637 units (5,531 single-family, 89 in 2–4 unit, 1,017 in 5+ unit buildings)2008: 3,827 units (2,924 single-family, 93 in 2–4 unit, 810 in 5+ unit buildings)2009: 1,821 units (1,729 single-family, 41 in 2–4 unit, 51 in 5+ unit buildings)2010: 1,962 units (1,756 single-family, 12 in 2–4 unit, 194 in 5+ unit buildings)2011: 2,029 units (1,907 single-family, 26 in 2–4 unit, 96 in 5+ unit buildings)2012: 2,818 units (2,650 single-family, 39 in 2–4 unit, 129 in 5+ unit buildings)2013: 3,895 units (3,254 single-family, 22 in 2–4 unit, 619 in 5+ unit buildings)2014: 4,479 units (3,306 single-family, 34 in 2–4 unit, 1,139 in 5+ unit buildings)2015: 5,896 units (3,782 single-family, 32 in 2–4 unit, 2,082 in 5+ unit buildings)2016: 5,753 units (4,237 single-family, 50 in 2–4 unit, 1,466 in 5+ unit buildings)2017: 5,299 units (4,458 single-family, 41 in 2–4 unit, 800 in 5+ unit buildings)2018: 6,430 units (5,254 single-family, 23 in 2–4 unit, 1,153 in 5+ unit buildings)2019: 6,563 units (5,385 single-family, 88 in 2–4 unit, 1,090 in 5+ unit buildings)2020: 8,734 units (6,511 single-family, 167 in 2–4 unit, 2,056 in 5+ unit buildings)2021: 10,604 units (8,896 single-family, 204 in 2–4 unit, 1,504 in 5+ unit buildings)2022: 8,244 units (6,477 single-family, 352 in 2–4 unit, 1,415 in 5+ unit buildings)2023: 7,684 units (6,685 single-family, 536 in 2–4 unit, 463 in 5+ unit buildings)2024: 8,875 units (7,826 single-family, 238 in 2–4 unit, 811 in 5+ unit buildings)2025: 8,255 units (7,317 single-family, 235 in 2–4 unit, 703 in 5+ unit buildings)200420072010201320162019202220252021 high · 10,6042009 low · 1,82104,0008,00012k2004: 6,251 units (5,590 single-family, 60 in 2–4 unit, 601 in 5+ unit buildings)2005: 6,993 units (6,398 single-family, 66 in 2–4 unit, 529 in 5+ unit buildings)2006: 7,122 units (6,199 single-family, 20 in 2–4 unit, 903 in 5+ unit buildings)2007: 6,637 units (5,531 single-family, 89 in 2–4 unit, 1,017 in 5+ unit buildings)2008: 3,827 units (2,924 single-family, 93 in 2–4 unit, 810 in 5+ unit buildings)2009: 1,821 units (1,729 single-family, 41 in 2–4 unit, 51 in 5+ unit buildings)2010: 1,962 units (1,756 single-family, 12 in 2–4 unit, 194 in 5+ unit buildings)2011: 2,029 units (1,907 single-family, 26 in 2–4 unit, 96 in 5+ unit buildings)2012: 2,818 units (2,650 single-family, 39 in 2–4 unit, 129 in 5+ unit buildings)2013: 3,895 units (3,254 single-family, 22 in 2–4 unit, 619 in 5+ unit buildings)2014: 4,479 units (3,306 single-family, 34 in 2–4 unit, 1,139 in 5+ unit buildings)2015: 5,896 units (3,782 single-family, 32 in 2–4 unit, 2,082 in 5+ unit buildings)2016: 5,753 units (4,237 single-family, 50 in 2–4 unit, 1,466 in 5+ unit buildings)2017: 5,299 units (4,458 single-family, 41 in 2–4 unit, 800 in 5+ unit buildings)2018: 6,430 units (5,254 single-family, 23 in 2–4 unit, 1,153 in 5+ unit buildings)2019: 6,563 units (5,385 single-family, 88 in 2–4 unit, 1,090 in 5+ unit buildings)2020: 8,734 units (6,511 single-family, 167 in 2–4 unit, 2,056 in 5+ unit buildings)2021: 10,604 units (8,896 single-family, 204 in 2–4 unit, 1,504 in 5+ unit buildings)2022: 8,244 units (6,477 single-family, 352 in 2–4 unit, 1,415 in 5+ unit buildings)2023: 7,684 units (6,685 single-family, 536 in 2–4 unit, 463 in 5+ unit buildings)2024: 8,875 units (7,826 single-family, 238 in 2–4 unit, 811 in 5+ unit buildings)2025: 8,255 units (7,317 single-family, 235 in 2–4 unit, 703 in 5+ unit buildings)2004200820122016202020252021 high · 10,604

Single-family2–4 units5+ units

Houses or apartments

The closest match in building mix among the 386 other metro areas is Flint (11% in five-plus buildings). Units in five-plus buildings peaked in 2015 (2,082), single-family houses in 2021 (8,896).

2021–202585.2%85%3.6%11.2%11%2004–200689.3%89%0.7%10.0%10%US, 2021–202562.6%63%3.5%34.0%34%2021–202585.2%85%3.6%11.2%2004–200689.3%89%0.7%10.0%US, 2021–202562.6%63%3.5%34.0%34%

Busiest permit offices

Across the metro area, 17 permit offices authorized new housing in 2021–2025. The busiest was Greenville County (unincorporated), with 12,606 units or 29% of the total, followed by Anderson County (unincorporated) with 6,220. Among the three largest, Greer put 24% of its units in five-plus buildings, Greenville County (unincorporated) 1.3%.

  • Greenville County (unincorporated)29% (12,606 units)
  • Anderson County (unincorporated)14% (6,220 units)
  • Greer12% (5,039 units)
  • Mauldin7.8% (3,416 units)
  • Easley5.9% (2,568 units)
  • Greenville5.6% (2,448 units)
  • Pickens County (unincorporated)5.5% (2,414 units)
  • Laurens County (unincorporated)4.7% (2,040 units)

Share of the units authorized in the metro area, 2021–2025.

Boom, bust and since

Greenville, SC authorized the most units in 2021 (10,604); 2025 reached 78% of that. Its peak year is shared by 27 other metro areas, among them Boise City, Colorado Springs, Provo. Annual permits fell from 7,122 during the mid-2000s boom to 1,821 in 2009, a drop of 74%. The nearest bust profile in the South Atlantic states was Beckley's (75%). The 2021–2025 pace of 8,732 units a year is 29% above the 2004–2006 pace. Permits rose 6 years in a row up to 2015. From 2024 to 2025 the count fell 7%.

The wider Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson region

The Census Bureau groups Greenville, SC with one neighboring metro area in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC combined area. Metro areas in it authorized 12,095 units a year in 2021–2025 (micropolitan parts not counted); Greenville, SC accounted for 72%. The other, with its yearly average: Spartanburg (3,362).

Where in the metro

Greenville County accounted for 64% of the metro area's units in 2021–2025, Anderson County for 16%.

  • Greenville County64% (4,947 in 2025)
  • Anderson County16% (1,493 in 2025)
  • Pickens County14% (946 in 2025)
  • Laurens County5.5% (869 in 2025)

Similar in size

Metro area2004–20252025 unitsPer 1,000 a year5+ share
Rochester, NY1,7501.837%
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC8,2558.911%
Omaha, NE-IA6,3776.245%
Urban Honolulu, HI1,4461.853%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT3,4782.168%

Rates and shares: 2021–2025.

Put Greenville, SC beside Omaha

Every yearly figure behind the chart, split by building size: yearly-units.csv. State view: South Carolina. Counting rules.