Single-family housing permits fell for the eighth month in a row, highlighting affordability challenges and low demand.
While multifamily permits increased, the sector’s instability makes the future unpredictable.
The divide highlights a housing market that is still under pressure, with single-family weakness weighing on broader growth forecasts.
Over the first seven months of 2025, the total number of single-family permits issued nationwide year-to-date (YTD) reached 565,208.
On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 5.7% decrease from 599,308 in July 2024.
The total number of multifamily permits issued countrywide was 286,836. This is a 2.6% increase from the 279,618 recorded in July 2024.
Single-family permits increased in one of the four regions year to date, ending in July. The Midwest saw a modest gain of 2.0%.
During this time, single-family permits fell 2.5% in the Northeast, 6.6% in the South, and 8.3% in the West.
Three of the four regions’ multifamily permit numbers increased. The Midwest went up by 23.3%, the West by 5.9%, and the South by 5.7%. Meanwhile, the Northeast fell 26.8%, led by the 38.0% drop in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ MSA.
From July 2025 to July 2024, 16 states saw an increase in single-family permits. The range of increases was from 18.1% in Hawaii to 0.5% in New Jersey.
The remaining 34 states and the District of Columbia recorded losses in single-family permits, with the District of Columbia experiencing the greatest drop of 28.8%.
The ten states with the most single-family permits together accounted for 62.8% of all single-family permits issued.
Texas, the state with the most single-family permits, issued 90,561 permits in the first seven months of 2025, a 7.2% decrease from the same time previous year.
Florida, the second highest state, plummeted by 11.9%, while North Carolina, the third highest, declined by 2.2%.
Between July 2025 YTD and July 2024 YTD, 29 states increased their multifamily permits, while 21 states and the District of Columbia decreased them.
Mississippi (+97.3%) topped the way with a high increase in multifamily permits from 222 to 438, while Wyoming experienced the largest decrease of 53.1% from 196 to 92.
The 10 states that issued the most multifamily permits combined for 61.6% of all multifamily permits issued.
Florida, the state with the most multifamily permits issued in 2025, saw a 23.8% increase in the first seven months.
Texas, the second-highest state for multifamily permits, experienced a 10.9% increase. California, the third largest multifamily issuing state, saw an increase of 5.8%.
Locally, the top ten metro regions that issued the most single-family permits are listed below.
The following are the top ten local areas that issued the most multifamily permits.
[Read more about this topic on Eyeonhousing.org]