Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Palm Beach County index 1975–2025
Palm Beach County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Palm Beach 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.
West Palm Beach, Florida (Palm Beach County), authorised 272 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +220.0% on the previous 12 months.
172 of those units were single-family houses (63%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 100 in buildings of five or more units. That is 2.1 units per 1,000 residents, well below the county's 3.7 and well below the state's 6.7.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 20,644 units, with the busiest year 2003 (3,480 units). Palm Beach County's FHFA house price index rose +138.9% over the ten years to 2025.
272units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+220.0% on the previous 12 months
172single-family units63% of the total
100units in 5+ unit buildings37% of the total
2.1units per 1,000 residentsPalm Beach County 3.7 · Florida 6.7
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in West Palm Beach by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
West Palm Beach
Palm Beach County
Florida
United States
All housing units
272
5,771
158,370
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
172 (63%)
3,034 (53%)
108,676 (69%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
130
2,208
34,814
3–4 units
0
87
938
17,298
5 or more units
100 (37%)
2,520 (44%)
46,548 (29%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
2.1
3.7
6.7
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+220.0%
+45.8%
−7.4%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in West Palm Beach by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
20,644 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2003. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Palm Beach County
FHFA's index for Palm Beach County rose +138.9% over the ten years to 2025 (+9.1% a year) and +1.2% 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 West Palm Beach, FL?
272 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 85 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in West Palm Beach?
172 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 100 in buildings of five or more units.
How does West Palm Beach compare with its county and state?
2.1 units per 1,000 residents in West Palm Beach, 3.7 in Palm Beach County and 6.7 in Florida.
How have home prices moved in Palm Beach County?
FHFA's index for Palm Beach County rose +138.9% over the ten years to 2025 and +1.2% 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 893000); 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.