Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Black Hawk County index 1975–2025
Black Hawk County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Black Hawk 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.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in Waterloo, Iowa, covered 241 housing units (+3.4% year on year); the place lies in Black Hawk County.
52 of those units were single-family houses (22%), 28 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 161 in buildings of five or more units. That is 3.6 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 3.0 and close to the state's 4.0.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 3,795 units, with the busiest year 2017 (340 units). Black Hawk County's FHFA house price index rose +49.6% over the ten years to 2025.
241units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+3.4% on the previous 12 months
52single-family units22% of the total
161units in 5+ unit buildings67% of the total
3.6units per 1,000 residentsBlack Hawk County 3.0 · Iowa 4.0
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Waterloo by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Waterloo
Black Hawk County
Iowa
United States
All housing units
241
389
12,933
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
52 (22%)
170 (44%)
7,399 (57%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
28
46
462
34,814
3–4 units
0
7
322
17,298
5 or more units
161 (67%)
166 (43%)
4,750 (37%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
3.6
3.0
4.0
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+3.4%
+1.3%
−5.1%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Waterloo by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
3,795 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2017. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Black Hawk County
FHFA's index for Black Hawk County rose +49.6% over the ten years to 2025 (+4.1% a year) and +1.8% in the latest year, against +65.4% and +3.2% for Iowa. 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 Waterloo, IA?
241 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 233 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Waterloo?
52 single-family units, 28 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 161 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Waterloo compare with its county and state?
3.6 units per 1,000 residents in Waterloo, 3.0 in Black Hawk County and 4.0 in Iowa.
How have home prices moved in Black Hawk County?
FHFA's index for Black Hawk County rose +49.6% over the ten years to 2025 and +1.8% 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 768400); 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.