Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Lee County index 1975–2025
Lee County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recessionPeak before the latest year value
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Lee 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.
Fort Myers, Florida (Lee County), authorised 1,574 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −18.2% on the previous 12 months.
347 of those units were single-family houses (22%), 8 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 1,219 in buildings of five or more units. That is 15.5 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 12.9 and well above the state's 6.7.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 35,224 units, with the busiest year 2020 (3,105 units). Lee County's FHFA house price index rose +100.7% over the ten years to 2025.
1,574units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−18.2% on the previous 12 months
347single-family units22% of the total
1,219units in 5+ unit buildings77% of the total
15.5units per 1,000 residentsLee County 12.9 · Florida 6.7
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Fort Myers by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Fort Myers
Lee County
Florida
United States
All housing units
1,574
11,252
158,370
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
347 (22%)
7,879 (70%)
108,676 (69%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
8
138
2,208
34,814
3–4 units
0
40
938
17,298
5 or more units
1,219 (77%)
3,195 (28%)
46,548 (29%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
15.5
12.9
6.7
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−18.2%
−25.6%
−7.4%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Fort Myers by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
35,224 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2020. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Lee County
FHFA's index for Lee County rose +100.7% over the ten years to 2025 (+7.2% a year) and −6.7% in the latest year, against +126.8% and −0.5% for Florida. 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 Fort Myers, FL?
1,574 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 1,925 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Fort Myers?
347 single-family units, 8 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 1,219 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Fort Myers compare with its county and state?
15.5 units per 1,000 residents in Fort Myers, 12.9 in Lee County and 6.7 in Florida.
How have home prices moved in Lee County?
FHFA's index for Lee County rose +100.7% over the ten years to 2025 and −6.7% 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 253000); 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.