Apartment permits show where new rental communities, and the leasing and property management work that comes with them, will open over the next few years. This report ranks the 100 largest US metros by housing units permitted in buildings of five or more, per 1,000 residents, from January through August 2026.
The 10 highest-ranked metros, numbered by rank. The full ranking is below.
Findings
WHAT THE data shows.
Apartment units authorized by building permits, January through August 2026.
01
Durham permitted the most apartment units for its size: 6.2 units in buildings of five or more per 1,000 residents from January through August, followed by Madison (3.4) and Raleigh (3.1). The US rate was 0.9.
02
Nationally, 313,346 units in buildings of five or more were permitted from January through August 2026, 32% of all new housing units.
03
Among metros with at least 500 such units this year, apartment permits rose fastest in Columbia (+468%), Wichita (+465%), and Durham (+278%) compared with the same months of 2025.
04
New apartment communities usually begin leasing before construction finishes, so their leasing websites need to be live well before the first move-in.
Units in buildings of five or more, per 1,000 residents, January–August 2026
Units authorized by building permits in buildings with five or more units, year to date through August 2026, from the Census Bureau’s Building Permits Survey metropolitan files, compared with the same months of 2025. Rates divide permitted units by the July 2025 population estimate. Permits measure authorizations, not completed buildings.