Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Los Angeles County index 1975–2025
Los Angeles County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Los Angeles 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.
Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles County), authorised 18,678 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +86.8% on the previous 12 months.
4,252 of those units were single-family houses (23%), 818 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 13,608 in buildings of five or more units. That is 4.8 units per 1,000 residents, well above the county's 3.0 and well above the state's 2.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 283,948 units, with the busiest year 2022 (16,707 units). Los Angeles County's FHFA house price index rose +86.9% over the ten years to 2025.
18,678units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+86.8% on the previous 12 months
4,252single-family units23% of the total
13,608units in 5+ unit buildings73% of the total
4.8units per 1,000 residentsLos Angeles County 3.0 · California 2.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Los Angeles by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County
California
United States
All housing units
18,678
29,499
111,538
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
4,252 (23%)
9,835 (33%)
55,792 (50%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
792
1,308
4,172
34,814
3–4 units
26
226
1,193
17,298
5 or more units
13,608 (73%)
18,130 (61%)
50,381 (45%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
4.8
3.0
2.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+86.8%
+47.5%
+13.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Los Angeles by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
283,948 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2022. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Los Angeles County
FHFA's index for Los Angeles County rose +86.9% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.5% a year) and +1.7% in the latest year, against +80.3% and +0.8% for California. 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 Los Angeles, CA?
18,678 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 10,001 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Los Angeles?
4,252 single-family units, 792 in two-unit buildings, 26 in three- and four-unit buildings and 13,608 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Los Angeles compare with its county and state?
4.8 units per 1,000 residents in Los Angeles, 3.0 in Los Angeles County and 2.8 in California.
How have home prices moved in Los Angeles County?
FHFA's index for Los Angeles County rose +86.9% over the ten years to 2025 and +1.7% 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 244000); 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.