The New York metro is keeping its position as the largest multifamily permitting market. That's based on the 17,700 units in July, although that represented a 38% year-over-year decrease, according to a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analysis.
The Dallas/Fort Worth metro area came in a close second with more than 16,000 units permitted, a 10% increase from July 2024 and the Miami market posted a 42% increase, reaching nearly 10,800 units.
Permitting in the Houston metro area, as well as the Orlando metro, also grew strongly year over year, by 69% and 57% respectively. Houston recorded 10,763 units, while Orlando hit 8,838 units to round out the top five.
Four of the next five markets experienced a decrease. Units permitted in Phoenix fell 9% to 8,344 units, while Los Angeles posted a 10% decrease to 71,55 units, Atlanta’s plunged 21% to 6,692 units and Austin's tumbled by 30% to 6,160 units.
Columbus was the only market among the second group of five to post an increase, with units up 53% to 7,353, putting the market in 7th place.
Many of the metros that ranked among the top 10 for multifamily also ranked highly for single-family permitting for the year ending in July, although only two of the top 10 markets posted increases. Houston permitted the most single-family homes, nearly 30,000, representing a 7% decrease, while another Texas metro, Dallas, came in second with nearly 26,000 units permitted, a 12% drop.
Single-family permitting fell 16% in Phoenix to 15,713 units, 15% in Atlanta to 13,731 units and 7% in both Charlotte and Austin to 10,879 and 9,839 units, respectively. Ranking seventh, Orlando was one of the two markets that increased permitting, with the area seeing a 7% boost to 9,662 units. In 10th place, Los Angeles expanded permitting by 5% to 7,296 units. Also in the top 10 were Nashville, where permitting dipped 6% to 8,498 units, and Tampa, which experienced a fall of 13% to 8,175 units.
The rankings reflect a cooling trend for single-family housing that has persisted for seven months, driven by affordability headwinds and weak demand, said NAHB. Over the first seven months of 2025, the total number of single-family permits issued nationwide reached 565,208, a decline of 5.7% over the July 2024 level of 599,308.
While multifamily permitting ticked up, the sector remains volatile and the outlook is uncertain, according to NAHB. The total number of issuances nationwide reached 286,836, up 2.6% compared to the July 2024 level of 279,618.
“The split underscores a housing market still under strain, with single-family softness weighing on broader growth prospects,” NAHB explained.
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