Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Craighead County index 1977–2025
Craighead County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Craighead County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in Jonesboro, Arkansas, covered 774 housing units (−6.1% year on year); the place lies in Craighead County.
446 of those units were single-family houses (58%), 224 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 104 in buildings of five or more units. That is 9.3 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 7.8 and well above the state's 4.7.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 18,907 units, with the busiest year 2021 (868 units). Craighead County's FHFA house price index rose +59.7% over the ten years to 2025.
774units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−6.1% on the previous 12 months
446single-family units58% of the total
104units in 5+ unit buildings13% of the total
9.3units per 1,000 residentsCraighead County 7.8 · Arkansas 4.7
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Jonesboro by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Jonesboro
Craighead County
Arkansas
United States
All housing units
774
917
14,741
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
446 (58%)
578 (63%)
9,600 (65%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
72
76
724
34,814
3–4 units
152
159
233
17,298
5 or more units
104 (13%)
104 (11%)
4,184 (28%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
9.3
7.8
4.7
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−6.1%
−5.6%
−4.3%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Jonesboro by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
18,907 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2021. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Craighead County
FHFA's index for Craighead County rose +59.7% over the ten years to 2025 (+4.8% a year) and +2.9% in the latest year, against +78.6% and +3.4% for Arkansas. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Jonesboro, AR?
774 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 824 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Jonesboro?
446 single-family units, 72 in two-unit buildings, 152 in three- and four-unit buildings and 104 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Jonesboro compare with its county and state?
9.3 units per 1,000 residents in Jonesboro, 7.8 in Craighead County and 4.7 in Arkansas.
How have home prices moved in Craighead County?
FHFA's index for Craighead County rose +59.7% over the ten years to 2025 and +2.9% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 282000); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.