Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Durham County index 1975–2025
Durham County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Durham 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.
Durham, North Carolina (Durham County), authorised 5,156 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +62.8% on the previous 12 months.
2,078 of those units were single-family houses (40%), 30 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 3,048 in buildings of five or more units. That is 16.9 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 15.3 and well above the state's 7.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 84,880 units, with the busiest year 2025 (4,483 units). Durham County's FHFA house price index rose +118.7% over the ten years to 2025.
5,156units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+62.8% on the previous 12 months
2,078single-family units40% of the total
3,048units in 5+ unit buildings59% of the total
16.9units per 1,000 residentsDurham County 15.3 · North Carolina 7.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Durham by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Durham
Durham County
North Carolina
United States
All housing units
5,156
5,303
87,853
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
2,078 (40%)
2,201 (42%)
61,266 (70%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
18
22
1,292
34,814
3–4 units
12
12
321
17,298
5 or more units
3,048 (59%)
3,068 (58%)
24,974 (28%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
16.9
15.3
7.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+62.8%
+56.0%
+2.0%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Durham by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
84,880 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2025. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Durham County
FHFA's index for Durham County rose +118.7% over the ten years to 2025 (+8.1% a year) and +1.3% 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 Durham, NC?
5,156 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 3,168 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Durham?
2,078 single-family units, 18 in two-unit buildings, 12 in three- and four-unit buildings and 3,048 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Durham compare with its county and state?
16.9 units per 1,000 residents in Durham, 15.3 in Durham County and 7.8 in North Carolina.
How have home prices moved in Durham County?
FHFA's index for Durham County rose +118.7% over the ten years to 2025 and +1.3% 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 164000); 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.