MarketXLS

Building Permits 1.443M for 

Building Permits came in at 1.443M for Jul 2026, up 5.02% from 1.374M the prior month and 3.07% above its level of 1.4M one year ago. The series has averaged 1.375M since 1960, reaching a record high of 2.419M in December 1972 and a record low of 513 in March 2009.

Source: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), St. Louis Fed

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Cite this data: "Building Permits," MarketXLS. Data from Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), St. Louis Fed. marketxls.com/indicators/building-permits

Historical Data

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July 1, 20261.443M
June 1, 20261.374M
May 1, 20261.41M
April 1, 20261.423M
March 1, 20261.363M
February 1, 20261.54M
January 1, 20261.393M
December 1, 20251.482M
November 1, 20251.414M
October 1, 20251.418M
September 1, 20251.444M
August 1, 20251.347M
July 1, 20251.4M
June 1, 20251.399M
May 1, 20251.416M
April 1, 20251.445M
March 1, 20251.492M
February 1, 20251.446M
January 1, 20251.463M
December 1, 20241.467M
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⋮
April 1, 19931.104M
March 1, 19931.056M
February 1, 19931.148M
January 1, 19931.177M
December 1, 19921.176M
November 1, 19921.118M
October 1, 19921.132M
September 1, 19921.114M
August 1, 19921.075M
July 1, 19921.089M
June 1, 19921.057M
May 1, 19921.056M
April 1, 19921.054M
March 1, 19921.082M
February 1, 19921.146M
January 1, 19921.077M
December 1, 19911.061M
November 1, 1991984
October 1, 1991991
September 1, 1991974

About Building Permits

What it measures

Building Permits (FRED series PERMIT) measures the number of new privately owned housing units authorized by local permit-issuing jurisdictions each month, reported as a seasonally adjusted annual rate in thousands of units. It is published by the Census Bureau and HUD alongside housing starts in the New Residential Construction release and is a component of the Conference Board Leading Economic Index.

Why it matters

Permits precede starts by weeks to months, making them the earliest hard-data signal in the residential construction pipeline and one of the classic leading indicators of the business cycle. Builders pull permits only when they intend to build, so the series reveals forward construction plans stripped of weather noise. Investors use permit trends to anticipate homebuilder revenue, construction employment, and future housing supply in tight markets.

How to read it

Permits are less volatile than starts because paperwork is not disrupted by weather, which makes their trend more trustworthy month to month. Watch the single-family series for the cleanest demand signal, since multifamily permits arrive in large irregular blocks. Not every permit becomes a start, and the gap widens when financing tightens; a sustained permit downturn has historically preceded broader economic slowdowns.

Get Building Permits in Excel

Pull Building Permits directly into your spreadsheet with a single MarketXLS formula - always current, no copy-pasting:

=BuildingPermits()

View the Building Permits formula documentation or browse all 100+ Economic Data functions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the current Building Permits?

Building Permits is 1.443M as of July 2026.

What is the all-time high and low of Building Permits?

The highest value on record is 2.419M (December 1972) and the lowest is 513 (March 2009).

How often is Building Permits updated?

Building Permits is published on a monthly basis, sourced from Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED).

How do I get Building Permits in Excel?

Use the MarketXLS Excel formula =BuildingPermits() to pull Building Permits directly into any cell, with historical values available for analysis.

Basic info
Building permits are a type of authorization that must be granted by a government or other regulatory body before the construction of a new or existing building can legally occur.
RegionUnited States
FrequencyMonthly
Last updatedAugust 18, 2026
Seasonal adjustmentSeasonally Adjusted Annual Rate
UnitThousands of Units

Stats
Last Value1.443M
Latest PeriodJul 2026
Last UpdatedAugust 18 2026, 07:33
Value Previous Month1.374M
Change From Previous Month5.02%
Value 1 Year Ago1.4M
Change From Year Ago3.07%
Average Growth Rate0.42%/yr
Record High (Dec 1972)2.419M
Record Low (Mar 2009)513
Long-Term Average1.375M
FrequencyMonthly
AdjustmentSeasonally Adjusted Annual Rate
UnitThousands of Units

Annual Averages
20261.421M
20251.431M
20241.474M
20231.516M
20221.685M
20211.734M
20201.479M
20191.386M
20181.328M
20171.286M
20161.206M
20151.177M

Related Indicators
Industrial Production: Total Index
Capacity Utilization: Total Index
Total Business Inventories
Advance Real Retail and Food Services Sales
US Light Vehicle Sales
Durable Goods Orders
Core Capital Goods Orders
Commercial and Industrial Loans
Total Consumer Credit
Corporate Profits After Tax
Housing Starts
Housing Units Under Construction
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