Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Frederick County index 1976–2025
Frederick County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Frederick 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 Frederick County Unincorporated Area, Maryland, covered 526 housing units (+63.4% year on year); the place lies in Frederick County.
476 of those units were single-family houses (90%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 50 in buildings of five or more units.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 35,139 units, with the busiest year 2020 (2,047 units). Frederick County's FHFA house price index rose +68.1% over the ten years to 2025.
526units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+63.4% on the previous 12 months
476single-family units90% of the total
50units in 5+ unit buildings10% of the total
—units per 1,000 residentsFrederick County 3.5 · Maryland 2.1
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Frederick County Unincorporated Area by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Frederick County Unincorporated Area
Frederick County
Maryland
United States
All housing units
526
1,074
13,400
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
476 (90%)
906 (84%)
8,351 (62%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
0
156
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
43
17,298
5 or more units
50 (10%)
168 (16%)
4,850 (36%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
—
3.5
2.1
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+63.4%
−14.7%
−8.3%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Frederick County Unincorporated Area by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
35,139 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2020. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Frederick County
FHFA's index for Frederick County rose +68.1% over the ten years to 2025 (+5.3% a year) and +0.9% in the latest year, against +59.8% and +2.7% for Maryland. 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 Frederick County Unincorporated Area, MD?
526 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 322 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Frederick County Unincorporated Area?
476 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 50 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Frederick County Unincorporated Area compare with its county and state?
No population estimate is attached to this permit-issuing area, so a per-resident rate is not shown; Frederick County runs at 3.5 units per 1,000 residents and Maryland at 2.1.
How have home prices moved in Frederick County?
FHFA's index for Frederick County rose +68.1% over the ten years to 2025 and +0.9% 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 257000); 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.