Multifamily Building Permits by Metro
Compare officially reported permits for housing in buildings with five or more units across US metros. Download the dated Census source table.
Free to use. No email required. Public datasets retain their reporting dates; calculations use your assumptions. Prepared September 12, 2026. Open the tool or report ↓
Where multifamily authorizations were concentrated
The 387 included U.S. metros authorized 447,114 housing units in buildings with five or more units during 2025. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ led with 31,550 units. The ten largest metro totals represented 36.3% of the included metros’ 5+ unit authorizations.
Absolute volume helps locate large development markets. Switch to authorizations per 1,000 residents to compare activity relative to metro size, then compare the broader 2+ unit column, which also includes duplex and 3–4-unit structures. This is a forward supply indicator; it does not measure available apartments or completed deliveries.
Multifamily permit rankings by metro
Showing 25 of 387 matching metros. Rankings reflect the current filters and sort. Download all 387 metros (CSV)
| Rank | Metro / CBSA | 5+ unit authorizations | 2+ unit authorizations | 5+ share | 5+ annual change | 5+ units / 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJCBSA 35620 | 31,550 | 33,967 | 70.99% | -25.86% | 1.57 |
| 2 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXCBSA 19100 | 24,607 | 26,389 | 37.18% | 6.29% | 2.90 |
| 3 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLCBSA 33100 | 16,699 | 17,580 | 71.20% | 66.91% | 2.61 |
| 4 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TXCBSA 26420 | 16,385 | 18,856 | 25.18% | 42.42% | 2.07 |
| 5 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZCBSA 38060 | 14,800 | 15,944 | 37.28% | 6.98% | 2.83 |
| 6 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FLCBSA 36740 | 13,463 | 13,647 | 48.35% | 58.16% | 4.55 |
| 7 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CACBSA 31080 | 12,525 | 14,359 | 45.98% | -5.61% | 0.98 |
| 8 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TXCBSA 12420 | 11,749 | 12,512 | 43.00% | -22.33% | 4.48 |
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GACBSA 12060 | 11,052 | 11,605 | 32.82% | -20.80% | 1.70 |
| 10 | Columbus, OHCBSA 18140 | 9,549 | 10,208 | 60.60% | 24.91% | 4.26 |
| 11 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLCBSA 45300 | 8,771 | 9,151 | 38.56% | 16.25% | 2.57 |
| 12 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WACBSA 42660 | 8,199 | 9,523 | 52.36% | -18.40% | 1.97 |
| 13 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, COCBSA 19740 | 8,195 | 8,471 | 51.39% | 27.47% | 2.65 |
| 14 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVCBSA 47900 | 7,392 | 7,822 | 41.09% | -23.05% | 1.14 |
| 15 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CACBSA 41740 | 7,311 | 8,201 | 62.45% | 0.87% | 2.23 |
| 16 | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FLCBSA 35840 | 5,857 | 6,345 | 33.20% | 49.41% | 6.18 |
| 17 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNCBSA 34980 | 5,827 | 5,936 | 30.34% | 7.71% | 2.65 |
| 18 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCCBSA 16740 | 5,820 | 5,991 | 26.18% | -14.75% | 1.98 |
| 19 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHCBSA 14460 | 5,695 | 6,101 | 56.54% | -16.82% | 1.13 |
| 20 | Raleigh-Cary, NCCBSA 39580 | 5,542 | 5,783 | 31.59% | -0.57% | 3.47 |
| 21 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CACBSA 40140 | 5,415 | 5,960 | 33.98% | 45.25% | 1.14 |
| 22 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WICBSA 33460 | 5,342 | 5,648 | 36.80% | 23.29% | 1.41 |
| 23 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-INCBSA 16980 | 5,324 | 6,281 | 33.74% | -31.91% | 0.56 |
| 24 | Madison, WICBSA 31540 | 5,008 | 5,222 | 72.09% | 26.40% | 7.06 |
| 25 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDCBSA 37980 | 4,935 | 5,644 | 38.26% | -2.16% | 0.78 |
Sources and methodology
Retrieved 2026-09-12. Coverage: 387 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas under July 2023 OMB delineations. Micropolitan areas and Puerto Rico are excluded. Population is Census Vintage 2025; both annual population estimates come from the same vintage.
Source files: 2025 final Census Building Permits Survey, 2024 final permits, and 2025 metro population estimates. Metro rows join on the five-digit CBSA code, excluding county and metropolitan-division component rows.
Multifamily means housing units in structures containing two or more units: the 2-unit, 3–4-unit and 5-or-more-unit categories combined. These are units authorized, not permit documents, buildings, starts or completed homes. Final estimates include Census imputation for nonrespondents. Authorizations can be delayed, revised or never built; the survey covers permit-issuing areas.
The 5+ share divides authorizations in buildings with at least five units by all authorized units. The 5+ annual change compares 2025 with 2024 final authorizations in that category; a zero 2024 denominator is “Not comparable.” Units per 1,000 residents divides 2025 authorizations by the July 1, 2025 population estimate and multiplies by 1,000. Reported zeros remain zero.
Geography references: BPS delineation changes and population file layout. ACREN calculations use Census data; the Census Bureau has not reviewed or endorsed this report.
How Acren helps
Move from metro-level supply to individual properties
Use the Census report to compare markets, then use Acren to research properties in areas you want to understand. Available property-level permit records add the dates, descriptions and source context needed to investigate a specific project.
Check local permit documents and project status. Metro authorizations do not establish that a particular building has started or been completed.
Continue the research
Metro Population Growth and Housing Permits →
How does the pace of housing authorization compare with population growth?
Banking reportBank CRE Lending Trends — Q2 2026 →
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Bring the source trail into your property review. Explore the Acren property research demo →