What America Is Building Right Now
Key findings
- General Construction is the most common permit type nationally, 30.7% of recent permit records.
- San Diego, CA has the highest median project value among ranked metros at $72,397.
What is America building? A source-dated look at the mix of project types and the typical dollar value by metro, from building-permit records published across hundreds of U.S. municipalities.
The next data refresh is in progress.
What's being built — permit mix (last 90 days)
| Project type | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| General Construction | 290,549 | 30.7% |
| Electrical | 128,603 | 13.6% |
| HVAC | 119,841 | 12.7% |
| Plumbing | 112,206 | 11.9% |
| Roofing | 62,540 | 6.6% |
| New Construction | 54,850 | 5.8% |
| Uncategorized | 39,014 | 4.1% |
| Other | 31,518 | 3.3% |
| Interior Renovation | 29,646 | 3.1% |
| Landscaping & Exterior | 26,776 | 2.8% |
| Windows & Doors | 26,061 | 2.8% |
| Addition | 24,959 | 2.6% |
Typical project value by metro
| Metro | Permits (90d) | Median value |
|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY | 66,737 | $34,000 |
| San Antonio, TX | 20,110 | volume-only |
| Fort Worth, TX | 16,319 | $52,736 |
| Miami, FL | 15,852 | $15,106 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 14,471 | $9,000 |
| San Diego, CA | 14,249 | $72,397 |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 13,818 | $22,600 |
| Austin, TX | 13,517 | $1 |
| Columbus, OH | 11,983 | $16,528 |
| Saint Paul, MN | 11,960 | volume-only |
| Baltimore, MD | 11,694 | volume-only |
| Portland, OR | 11,642 | $20,000 |
| Raleigh, NC | 11,423 | volume-only |
| Memphis, TN | 11,207 | $25,000 |
| Kansas City, MO | 11,068 | volume-only |
Methodology
We publish this study only from a completed, reconciled snapshot of public municipal permit records. The next refresh is in progress.
Use this data
Free to cite with attribution to PermitGrab. Suggested credit:
Source: PermitGrab — "What America Is Building Right Now" — https://permitgrab.com/research/what-america-is-building
FAQ
What are Americans building the most permits for right now?
General Construction is the most common permit category, at 30.7% of recent permit records nationally.
Where does this data come from?
Building-permit records from hundreds of U.S. municipal open-data sources, aggregated by canonical metro and trade category, then published as a verified snapshot. Individual source schedules vary by city.
Can I cite this?
Yes — free to cite with attribution to PermitGrab and a link to this page.
Turn a market pattern into a research workflow
Choose the source-bounded workflow that fits your work before starting a trial. Contractor and owner fields, where available, vary by public source and record.
Choose a research workflow →