Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Essex County index 1975–2025
Essex County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Essex 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.
Manchester-by-the-Sea town, Massachusetts (Essex County), authorised 12 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +33.3% on the previous 12 months.
9 of those units were single-family houses (75%), 3 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 325 units, with the busiest year 2003 (30 units). Essex County's FHFA house price index rose +92.0% over the ten years to 2025.
12units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+33.3% on the previous 12 months
9single-family units75% of the total
0units in 5+ unit buildings0% of the total
—units per 1,000 residentsEssex County 1.3 · Massachusetts 1.9
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Manchester-by-the-Sea town by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Manchester-by-the-Sea town
Essex County
Massachusetts
United States
All housing units
12
1,063
13,778
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
9 (75%)
393 (37%)
5,182 (38%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
62
398
34,814
3–4 units
3
24
267
17,298
5 or more units
0 (0%)
584 (55%)
7,931 (58%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
—
1.3
1.9
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+33.3%
−9.6%
+16.2%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Manchester-by-the-Sea town by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
325 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2003. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Essex County
FHFA's index for Essex County rose +92.0% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.7% a year) and +4.8% in the latest year, against +87.1% and +3.7% for Massachusetts. 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 Manchester-by-the-Sea town, MA?
12 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 9 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Manchester-by-the-Sea town?
9 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 3 in three- and four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Manchester-by-the-Sea town compare with its county and state?
No population estimate is attached to this permit-issuing area, so a per-resident rate is not shown; Essex County runs at 1.3 units per 1,000 residents and Massachusetts at 1.9.
How have home prices moved in Essex County?
FHFA's index for Essex County rose +92.0% over the ten years to 2025 and +4.8% 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 347000); 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.