Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995St. Clair County index 1977–2025
St. Clair County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is St. Clair 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.
East St. Louis, Illinois (St. Clair County), authorised 20 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −76.7% on the previous 12 months.
10 of those units were single-family houses (50%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 10 in buildings of five or more units. That is 1.1 units per 1,000 residents, well below the county's 1.7 and below the state's 1.5.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 1,181 units, with the busiest year 2014 (207 units). St. Clair County's FHFA house price index rose +69.3% over the ten years to 2025.
20units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−76.7% on the previous 12 months
10single-family units50% of the total
10units in 5+ unit buildings50% of the total
1.1units per 1,000 residentsSt. Clair County 1.7 · Illinois 1.5
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in East St. Louis by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
East St. Louis
St. Clair County
Illinois
United States
All housing units
20
421
19,157
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
10 (50%)
278 (66%)
10,712 (56%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
94
502
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
871
17,298
5 or more units
10 (50%)
49 (12%)
7,072 (37%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
1.1
1.7
1.5
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−76.7%
−30.4%
−5.7%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in East St. Louis by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
1,181 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2014. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in St. Clair County
FHFA's index for St. Clair County rose +69.3% over the ten years to 2025 (+5.4% a year) and +5.3% 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 East St. Louis, IL?
20 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 86 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in East St. Louis?
10 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 10 in buildings of five or more units.
How does East St. Louis compare with its county and state?
1.1 units per 1,000 residents in East St. Louis, 1.7 in St. Clair County and 1.5 in Illinois.
How have home prices moved in St. Clair County?
FHFA's index for St. Clair County rose +69.3% over the ten years to 2025 and +5.3% 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 230200); 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.