Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Johnson County index 1975–2025
Johnson County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Johnson 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 Olathe, Kansas, covered 1,119 housing units (+113.1% year on year); the place lies in Johnson County.
584 of those units were single-family houses (52%), 49 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 486 in buildings of five or more units. That is 7.5 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 6.9 and well above the state's 4.1.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 29,966 units, with the busiest year 1999 (2,364 units). Johnson County's FHFA house price index rose +100.7% over the ten years to 2025.
1,119units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+113.1% on the previous 12 months
584single-family units52% of the total
486units in 5+ unit buildings43% of the total
7.5units per 1,000 residentsJohnson County 6.9 · Kansas 4.1
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Olathe by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Olathe
Johnson County
Kansas
United States
All housing units
1,119
4,396
12,159
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
584 (52%)
2,207 (50%)
6,429 (53%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
10
12
1,846
34,814
3–4 units
39
55
328
17,298
5 or more units
486 (43%)
2,122 (48%)
3,556 (29%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
7.5
6.9
4.1
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+113.1%
+65.1%
+29.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Olathe by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
29,966 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1999. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Johnson County
FHFA's index for Johnson County rose +100.7% over the ten years to 2025 (+7.2% a year) and +3.8% 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 Olathe, KS?
1,119 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 525 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Olathe?
584 single-family units, 10 in two-unit buildings, 39 in three- and four-unit buildings and 486 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Olathe compare with its county and state?
7.5 units per 1,000 residents in Olathe, 6.9 in Johnson County and 4.1 in Kansas.
How have home prices moved in Johnson County?
FHFA's index for Johnson County rose +100.7% over the ten years to 2025 and +3.8% 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 411700); 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.