Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Cole County index 1978–2025
Cole County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Cole 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.
Cole County Unincorporated Area, Missouri (Cole County), authorised 143 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −4.0% on the previous 12 months.
136 of those units were single-family houses (95%), 7 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 6,591 units, with the busiest year 1997 (813 units). Cole County's FHFA house price index rose +90.1% over the ten years to 2025.
143units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−4.0% on the previous 12 months
136single-family units95% of the total
0units in 5+ unit buildings0% of the total
—units per 1,000 residentsCole County 2.1 · Missouri 2.9
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Cole County Unincorporated Area by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Cole County Unincorporated Area
Cole County
Missouri
United States
All housing units
143
164
18,495
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
136 (95%)
157 (96%)
12,065 (65%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
4
4
722
34,814
3–4 units
3
3
514
17,298
5 or more units
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
5,194 (28%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
—
2.1
2.9
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−4.0%
−4.1%
+4.4%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Cole County Unincorporated Area by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
6,591 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1997. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Cole County
FHFA's index for Cole County rose +90.1% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.6% a year) and +6.6% in the latest year, against +88.2% and +3.7% for Missouri. 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 Cole County Unincorporated Area, MO?
143 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 149 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Cole County Unincorporated Area?
136 single-family units, 4 in two-unit buildings, 3 in three- and four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Cole 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; Cole County runs at 2.1 units per 1,000 residents and Missouri at 2.9.
How have home prices moved in Cole County?
FHFA's index for Cole County rose +90.1% over the ten years to 2025 and +6.6% 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 139500); 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.