Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Douglas County index 1975–2025
Douglas County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Douglas 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 Lawrence, Kansas, covered 188 housing units (+9.9% year on year); the place lies in Douglas County.
128 of those units were single-family houses (68%), 10 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 50 in buildings of five or more units. That is 2.0 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 2.2 and well below the state's 4.1.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 17,039 units, with the busiest year 1996 (1,680 units). Douglas County's FHFA house price index rose +83.9% over the ten years to 2025.
188units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+9.9% on the previous 12 months
128single-family units68% of the total
50units in 5+ unit buildings27% of the total
2.0units per 1,000 residentsDouglas County 2.2 · Kansas 4.1
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Lawrence by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Lawrence
Douglas County
Kansas
United States
All housing units
188
272
12,159
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
128 (68%)
210 (77%)
6,429 (53%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
10
12
1,846
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
328
17,298
5 or more units
50 (27%)
50 (18%)
3,556 (29%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
2.0
2.2
4.1
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+9.9%
−23.8%
+29.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Lawrence by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
17,039 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1996. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Douglas County
FHFA's index for Douglas County rose +83.9% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.3% a year) and +5.7% in the latest year, against +83.6% and +4.0% for Kansas. 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 Lawrence, KS?
188 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 171 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Lawrence?
128 single-family units, 10 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 50 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Lawrence compare with its county and state?
2.0 units per 1,000 residents in Lawrence, 2.2 in Douglas County and 4.1 in Kansas.
How have home prices moved in Douglas County?
FHFA's index for Douglas County rose +83.9% over the ten years to 2025 and +5.7% 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 298000); 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.