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What permit data reveals about America’s next housing boomtowns
Real estate investors look at numerous data points when deciding where to put their money next. They often consider total population growth, median income, and job opportunities, to give three examples.
One of the most reliable forward-looking data classifications, though, is the number of new housing permits. When metropolitan and micropolitan areas approve large numbers of permits relative to their total population, investors often take notice. A slowdown in permits, on the other hand, can be just as revealing.
In anticipation of the summer building season, PropertyReach explores the seven core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) with strong projected construction activity. Investors should stick around for five CBSAs with relatively few permit approvals to help narrow down investment options.
7 Core-Based Statistical Areas With a High Number of New Permits
Nearly all of the CBSAs below are located in the Sun Belt, which experienced explosive growth from 2020 to 2022. Although some areas in Florida and Arizona are seeing home prices falling, the area is still a solid bet for many investors.
The information used to create this article comes from the March 2026 census data and reflects the number of permits approved for privately owned housing units during that month. Data was also used from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
1. Dallas, TX (5,331)
No other CBSA had more housing permits approved than Dallas and its surrounding areas. The country’s fourth-most-populous CBSA beat out New York’s, Los Angeles’s, and Chicago’s numbers by healthy margins. The continued strong job market in Dallas and nearby Fort Worth has buoyed steady growth for the past several years.
2. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (5,055)
The Houston CBSA had the second-most housing units approved in March 2026. Texas’s largest city and the country’s fifth-largest CBSA had 4,493 single-family units alone, proving the Lone Star State’s population growth is here to stay.
3. Asheville, NC (1,153)
Asheville is no longer the sleepy mountain town it once was. Based on the number of housing permits granted to builders in March 2026, Buncombe County is set for an influx of permanent residents. Interestingly, 961 of the 1,153 housing units are for buildings holding five or more units (multiunit housing).
4. Raleigh-Cary, NC (1,743)
Raleigh, another major Sun Belt city, is continuing its steady growth with 1,743 total housing permits approved in March. This high-income area in North Carolina’s Research Triangle grew by an estimated rate of 12.85% between 2020 and 2025, good for the second fastest among the country’s 40 most populous CBSAs.
5. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR (1,321)
This CBSA in northwestern Arkansas has issued a surprising number of housing permits through 2026, totaling 2,772 from Jan. 1 through March 31. The area straddling the picturesque Ozark Mountains is gaining 517 single-family units and 792 multiunit buildings, offering a nice mix for investors.
6. Champaign-Urbana, IL (969)
A staggering 953 of the 969 total housing permits approved in the Champaign, Illinois, area in March are for multiunit buildings. Investors who want to get in on new apartments have few better options than this college-heavy area.
7. Wilmington, NC (786)
The Cape Fear area along the Atlantic coast of North Carolina is one of the nation’s most popular areas for retirees. Of the 786 housing permits issued in March 2026, 633 are for single-family homes.
Potential Hidden Gem: Anderson Creek, NC (187)
Anderson Creek is an unincorporated town near the fast-growing town of Fayetteville, North Carolina. While Fayetteville has grown steadily over the past 10 years, Anderson Creek has grown faster.
Although the census-designated place (CDP) of Anderson Creek has an estimated 13,636 residents, a whopping 187 permits were approved in March of 2026. If you’re searching for a rapidly growing small town, Anderson Creek looks fairly lucrative.
5 US Metros Where Permit Approvals Have Cooled
For investors, examining CBSAs with stagnant growth can be just as important as focusing on high-growth areas. Fewer new houses can translate to appreciating prices as Sun Belt growth has slowed.
Finding the slow-growth areas poised for rising home prices requires a lot of research with property leads tools and other online resources, along with a little luck.
1. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (1,764)
Although 1,764 new permits would be a healthy number for almost any other CBSA, Chicago’s perch as the country’s third-most-populous metro means the area is not experiencing much growth. Its total population is estimated to have slightly decreased between 2020 and 2025 as remote work increased.
2. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD (287)
Another high-tax area, Baltimore’s growth has appeared to grind to a halt in the early months of 2026. For comparison, the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro, which ranks only slightly ahead of Baltimore in population, issued 2,197 housing permits in March.
3. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (316)
San Francisco’s rate of new housing permits was one of the country’s lowest in March 2026. Few people in the U.S. have enough wealth to live in the Bay Area; the median home price in San Francisco reached $2.15 million in March.
A quick comparison: if the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, CBSA approved new housing permits at the same proportion to its current population as San Francisco, it would have green-lighted only 579 in March. That’s nine times less than its actual approval number of 5,331.
4. Cleveland, OH (417)
Cleveland is one of many Rust Belt cities struggling to find its footing after manufacturing began its decline in the 1960s. The now-bigger city of Columbus in Central Ohio has attracted far more residents since the start of the 2020s, as evidenced by its 1,089 new permits issued in March 2026.
5. Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury and Hartford-West-Hartford-East Hartford, CT (57 each)
Many places in the Northeast have netted fewer residents since the start of the decade. Connecticut’s two large metros, which hold 58% of the state’s population, are Exhibits A and B for the region’s response to that trend, as they both approved only 57 new housing units in March.
As a result, the median Connecticut home price is expected to increase by a healthy margin in 2026.
Setting the 2026 Stage for Real Estate Investors
Finding success as a real estate investor requires a nuanced interpretation of new-housing-permit totals. While Texas and North Carolina continue to see a strong influx of new residents, the anticipated effect on home prices may give some investors pause. As always, home construction trends are simply one piece of the larger real estate puzzle for those hoping to cash in with strong investments.
This story was produced by PropertyReach and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
