Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Cook County index 1975–2025
Cook County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Cook 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.
Chicago, Illinois (Cook County), authorised 3,128 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −31.2% on the previous 12 months.
233 of those units were single-family houses (7%), 648 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 2,247 in buildings of five or more units. That is 1.1 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 0.9 and below the state's 1.5.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 183,668 units, with the busiest year 2006 (14,083 units). Cook County's FHFA house price index rose +61.3% over the ten years to 2025.
3,128units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−31.2% on the previous 12 months
233single-family units7% of the total
2,247units in 5+ unit buildings72% of the total
1.1units per 1,000 residentsCook County 0.9 · Illinois 1.5
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Chicago by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Chicago
Cook County
Illinois
United States
All housing units
3,128
4,929
19,157
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
233 (7%)
1,159 (24%)
10,712 (56%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
94
104
502
34,814
3–4 units
554
607
871
17,298
5 or more units
2,247 (72%)
3,059 (62%)
7,072 (37%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
1.1
0.9
1.5
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−31.2%
−23.1%
−5.7%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Chicago by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
183,668 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2006. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Cook County
FHFA's index for Cook County rose +61.3% over the ten years to 2025 (+4.9% a year) and +5.5% in the latest year, against +64.6% and +5.7% for Illinois. 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 Chicago, IL?
3,128 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 4,547 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Chicago?
233 single-family units, 94 in two-unit buildings, 554 in three- and four-unit buildings and 2,247 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Chicago compare with its county and state?
1.1 units per 1,000 residents in Chicago, 0.9 in Cook County and 1.5 in Illinois.
How have home prices moved in Cook County?
FHFA's index for Cook County rose +61.3% over the ten years to 2025 and +5.5% 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 147700); 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.