Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Cumberland County index 1976–2025
Cumberland County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Cumberland 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.
Portland, Maine (Cumberland County), authorised 813 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +137.7% on the previous 12 months.
47 of those units were single-family houses (6%), 9 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 757 in buildings of five or more units. That is 11.6 units per 1,000 residents, well above the county's 6.8 and well above the state's 4.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 5,215 units, with the busiest year 2022 (721 units). Cumberland County's FHFA house price index rose +116.2% over the ten years to 2025.
813units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+137.7% on the previous 12 months
47single-family units6% of the total
757units in 5+ unit buildings93% of the total
11.6units per 1,000 residentsCumberland County 6.8 · Maine 4.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Portland by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Portland
Cumberland County
Maine
United States
All housing units
813
2,165
6,830
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
47 (6%)
834 (39%)
4,503 (66%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
6
90
244
34,814
3–4 units
3
43
104
17,298
5 or more units
757 (93%)
1,198 (55%)
1,979 (29%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
11.6
6.8
4.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+137.7%
+42.3%
+8.4%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Portland by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
5,215 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2022. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Cumberland County
FHFA's index for Cumberland County rose +116.2% over the ten years to 2025 (+8.0% a year) and +4.1% in the latest year, against +112.4% and +4.7% for Maine. 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 Portland, ME?
813 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 342 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Portland?
47 single-family units, 6 in two-unit buildings, 3 in three- and four-unit buildings and 757 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Portland compare with its county and state?
11.6 units per 1,000 residents in Portland, 6.8 in Cumberland County and 4.8 in Maine.
How have home prices moved in Cumberland County?
FHFA's index for Cumberland County rose +116.2% over the ten years to 2025 and +4.1% 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 363000); 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.