Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Meeker County index 1986–2025
Meeker County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Meeker 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.
Watkins, Minnesota (Meeker County), authorised 14 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +600.0% on the previous 12 months.
2 of those units were single-family houses (14%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 12 in buildings of five or more units. That is 13.8 units per 1,000 residents, well above the county's 2.7 and well above the state's 3.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 113 units, with the busiest year 2020 (21 units). Meeker County's FHFA house price index rose +92.1% over the ten years to 2025.
14units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+600.0% on the previous 12 months
2single-family units14% of the total
12units in 5+ unit buildings86% of the total
13.8units per 1,000 residentsMeeker County 2.7 · Minnesota 3.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Watkins by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Watkins
Meeker County
Minnesota
United States
All housing units
14
63
22,158
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
2 (14%)
51 (81%)
12,841 (58%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
0
312
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
201
17,298
5 or more units
12 (86%)
12 (19%)
8,804 (40%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
13.8
2.7
3.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+600.0%
+26.0%
+2.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Watkins by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
113 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2020. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Meeker County
FHFA's index for Meeker County rose +92.1% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.7% a year) and +5.3% in the latest year, against +71.4% and +2.8% for Minnesota. 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 Watkins, MN?
14 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 2 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Watkins?
2 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 12 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Watkins compare with its county and state?
13.8 units per 1,000 residents in Watkins, 2.7 in Meeker County and 3.8 in Minnesota.
How have home prices moved in Meeker County?
FHFA's index for Meeker County rose +92.1% over the ten years to 2025 and +5.3% 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 792100); 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.