United States Building Permits

Last Release

Apr 30, 2025

Actual

1,422

Units In

Thousand

1,481

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

N/A

Time to Release

N/A

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
2,419 Dec 1972	513 Mar 2009	1,371.94 Thousand	1960-2025	U.S. Census Bureau

Building Permits refer to the approvals given by a local jurisdictions before the construction of a new or existing building can legally occur. Not all areas of the United States require a permit for construction.

Latest Updates

Building permits in the United States fell by 2% to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.393 million in May 2025, the lowest since June 2020 and well below market expectations of 1.43 million, as higher mortgage rates and tariffs on imported materials continued to dampen demand. Single-family permits decreased by 2.7% to 898 thousand, the lowest since April 2023, while permits for buildings with five or more units rose by 1.4% to an annualized rate of 444 thousand. Regionally, permits declined in the Northeast (-8.8% to 124 thousand), the South (-2.5% to 743 thousand), and the West (-5.2% to 313 thousand), but increased in the Midwest (9.8% to 213 thousand).