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.
Orange County Unincorporated Area, North Carolina (Orange County), authorised 890 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +378.5% on the previous 12 months.
218 of those units were single-family houses (24%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 672 in buildings of five or more units.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 11,017 units, with the busiest year 2005 (698 units). Orange County's FHFA house price index rose +96.7% over the ten years to 2025.
890units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+378.5% on the previous 12 months
218single-family units24% of the total
672units in 5+ unit buildings76% of the total
—units per 1,000 residentsOrange County 7.0 · North Carolina 7.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Orange County Unincorporated Area by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Orange County Unincorporated Area
Orange County
North Carolina
United States
All housing units
890
1,065
87,853
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
218 (24%)
348 (33%)
61,266 (70%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
4
1,292
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
321
17,298
5 or more units
672 (76%)
713 (67%)
24,974 (28%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
—
7.0
7.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+378.5%
+82.4%
+2.0%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Orange County Unincorporated Area by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
11,017 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2005. 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 Orange County Unincorporated Area, NC?
890 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 186 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Orange County Unincorporated Area?
218 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 672 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Orange 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; Orange County runs at 7.0 units per 1,000 residents and North Carolina at 7.8.
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 430000); 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.