United States Building Permits

Last Release

May 31, 2025

Actual

1,394

Units In

Thousand

1,422

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

N/A

Time to Release

N/A

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
2,419 Dec 1972	513 Mar 2009	1,371.97 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 1.394 million in May 2025, the lowest since June 2020, as higher mortgage rates and tariffs on imported materials continued to dampen demand. Single-family permits decreased by 2.6% to 899 thousand, the lowest since April 2023, while permits for buildings with five or more units rose by 0.9% to an annualized rate of 442 thousand. Regionally, permits declined in the Northeast (-9.6% to 123 thousand), the South (-2.6% to 742 thousand), and the West (-5.5% to 312 thousand), but increased in the Midwest (11.9% to 217 thousand).