Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Nantucket County index 1986–2021
Nantucket County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Nantucket 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.
Nantucket town, Massachusetts (Nantucket County), authorised 252 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +0.8% on the previous 12 months.
208 of those units were single-family houses (83%), 24 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 20 in buildings of five or more units.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 5,817 units, with the busiest year 1996 (294 units). Nantucket County's FHFA house price index rose +54.7% over the ten years to 2021.
252units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+0.8% on the previous 12 months
208single-family units83% of the total
20units in 5+ unit buildings8% of the total
—units per 1,000 residentsNantucket County 17.1 · Massachusetts 1.9
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Nantucket town by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Nantucket town
Nantucket County
Massachusetts
United States
All housing units
252
252
13,778
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
208 (83%)
208 (83%)
5,182 (38%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
24
24
398
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
267
17,298
5 or more units
20 (8%)
20 (8%)
7,931 (58%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
—
17.1
1.9
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+0.8%
+0.8%
+16.2%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Nantucket town by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
5,817 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1996. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Nantucket County
FHFA's index for Nantucket County rose +54.7% over the ten years to 2021 (+4.5% a year) and +4.4% in the latest year, against +52.5% and +11.0% 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 Nantucket town, MA?
252 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 250 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Nantucket town?
208 single-family units, 24 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 20 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Nantucket 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; Nantucket County runs at 17.1 units per 1,000 residents and Massachusetts at 1.9.
How have home prices moved in Nantucket County?
FHFA's index for Nantucket County rose +54.7% over the ten years to 2021 and +4.4% 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 413000); 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.