Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Alachua County index 1975–2025
Alachua County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Alachua 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.
Gainesville, Florida (Alachua County), authorised 1,557 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +52.1% on the previous 12 months.
235 of those units were single-family houses (15%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 1,322 in buildings of five or more units. That is 10.5 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 7.6 and well above the state's 6.7.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 19,863 units, with the busiest year 2025 (2,665 units). Alachua County's FHFA house price index rose +111.5% over the ten years to 2025.
1,557units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+52.1% on the previous 12 months
235single-family units15% of the total
1,322units in 5+ unit buildings85% of the total
10.5units per 1,000 residentsAlachua County 7.6 · Florida 6.7
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Gainesville by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Gainesville
Alachua County
Florida
United States
All housing units
1,557
2,201
158,370
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
235 (15%)
811 (37%)
108,676 (69%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
28
2,208
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
938
17,298
5 or more units
1,322 (85%)
1,362 (62%)
46,548 (29%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
10.5
7.6
6.7
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+52.1%
+39.0%
−7.4%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Gainesville by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
19,863 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2025. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Alachua County
FHFA's index for Alachua County rose +111.5% over the ten years to 2025 (+7.8% a year) and +2.6% 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 Gainesville, FL?
1,557 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 1,024 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Gainesville?
235 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 1,322 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Gainesville compare with its county and state?
10.5 units per 1,000 residents in Gainesville, 7.6 in Alachua County and 6.7 in Florida.
How have home prices moved in Alachua County?
FHFA's index for Alachua County rose +111.5% over the ten years to 2025 and +2.6% 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 271000); 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.