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.
Santa Monica, California (Los Angeles County), authorised 850 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +102.9% on the previous 12 months.
81 of those units were single-family houses (10%), 31 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 738 in buildings of five or more units. That is 9.4 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 8,405 units, with the busiest year 1998 (757 units). Los Angeles County's FHFA house price index rose +86.9% over the ten years to 2025.
850units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+102.9% on the previous 12 months
81single-family units10% of the total
738units in 5+ unit buildings87% of the total
9.4units per 1,000 residentsLos Angeles County 3.0 · California 2.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Santa Monica by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Santa Monica
Los Angeles County
California
United States
All housing units
850
29,499
111,538
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
81 (10%)
9,835 (33%)
55,792 (50%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
10
1,308
4,172
34,814
3–4 units
21
226
1,193
17,298
5 or more units
738 (87%)
18,130 (61%)
50,381 (45%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
9.4
3.0
2.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+102.9%
+47.5%
+13.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Santa Monica by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
8,405 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1998. 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 Santa Monica, CA?
850 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 419 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Santa Monica?
81 single-family units, 10 in two-unit buildings, 21 in three- and four-unit buildings and 738 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Santa Monica compare with its county and state?
9.4 units per 1,000 residents in Santa Monica, 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 419000); 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.