Single-family building permits declined in October, suggesting builders’ ongoing caution in the face of affordability limits and financing concerns.
In contrast, multifamily permit activity remained stable and performed reasonably well.
Together, these patterns indicate that, while demand for new housing remains strong, builders are altering residential construction activity to reflect changing market conditions.
Because permits often come before construction begins, these trends provide insight into the near-term prognosis for residential building activity.
During the first 10 months of 2025, 787,122 single-family permits were issued nationwide.
On a year-over-year basis, this is a 7.0% decrease from the October 2024 year-to-date total of 846,446.
Multifamily permitting activity was greater, with 426,352 permits issued countrywide, up 5.7% from the same period last year.
Through October, just one of the four areas experienced a gain in year-to-date single-family permits.
The Midwest saw a tiny 0.9% increase, while activity fell in the Northeast (2.7%), South (7.9%), and West (10.5%). Multifamily permits climbed in three of the four regions, with the West leading the way (15.6 percent), followed by the Midwest (14.6 percent), and finally the South (5.7 percent).
The Northeast experienced a 15.9 percent loss, primarily due to a 28.0 percent dip in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area.
At the state level, 15 states experienced year-over-year increases in single-family permits between October 2025 and October 2024, with improvements ranging from 12.6% in New Hampshire to 0.8% in West Virginia.
The remaining 35 states and the District of Columbia reported declines, with Nevada experiencing the highest loss at 22.4 percent.
The ten states that issued the most single-family permits accounted for 62.0 percent of all single-family permits issued nationally.
Texas remained the country’s leader, issuing 122,293 permits in the first ten months of 2025, despite a 10.3 percent drop from the same period previous year.
Florida, the second-highest state, saw permits plummet by 9.8 percent, while North Carolina, ranked third, had a 5.8 percent drop.
Between October 2025 and October 2024, 29 states and the District of Columbia reported gains in multifamily building permits, while 21 states reported reductions.
Mississippi had the highest percentage rise, with multifamily permits increasing 142.6 percent, from 289 to 701 units.
Maryland, on the other hand, experienced the biggest loss, with permits dropping 44.5 percent from 5,265 to 2,922 units.
The 10 states with the most multifamily permits accounted for 60.2% of all multifamily permits issued nationwide.
Texas, which issued the most multifamily permits, saw a moderate 2.9% growth in the first 10 months of 2025.
Florida, the second-highest state, experienced a greater boost of 27.8 percent, while California, ranked third, witnessed a 19.8 percent increase in multifamily permits.
At the local level, the 10 metropolitan areas with the most single-family permits issued are as follows.
The 10 local areas with the most multifamily permit activity are listed below.
[Read more about this topic on Eyeonhousing.org]