Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Orange County index 1975–2025
Orange County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Orange 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 Chapel Hill town, North Carolina, covered 146 housing units (−62.3% year on year); the place lies in Orange County.
106 of those units were single-family houses (73%), 4 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 36 in buildings of five or more units. That is 2.3 units per 1,000 residents, well below the county's 7.0 and well below the state's 7.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 10,062 units, with the busiest year 1999 (881 units). Orange County's FHFA house price index rose +96.7% over the ten years to 2025.
146units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−62.3% on the previous 12 months
106single-family units73% of the total
36units in 5+ unit buildings25% of the total
2.3units per 1,000 residentsOrange County 7.0 · North Carolina 7.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Chapel Hill town by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Chapel Hill town
Orange County
North Carolina
United States
All housing units
146
1,065
87,853
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
106 (73%)
348 (33%)
61,266 (70%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
4
4
1,292
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
321
17,298
5 or more units
36 (25%)
713 (67%)
24,974 (28%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
2.3
7.0
7.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−62.3%
+82.4%
+2.0%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Chapel Hill town by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
10,062 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1999. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Orange County
FHFA's index for Orange County rose +96.7% over the ten years to 2025 (+7.0% a year) and +3.3% in the latest year, against +106.6% and +2.5% for North Carolina. 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 Chapel Hill town, NC?
146 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 387 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Chapel Hill town?
106 single-family units, 4 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 36 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Chapel Hill town compare with its county and state?
2.3 units per 1,000 residents in Chapel Hill town, 7.0 in Orange County and 7.8 in North Carolina.
How have home prices moved in Orange County?
FHFA's index for Orange County rose +96.7% over the ten years to 2025 and +3.3% 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 107000); 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.