Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Burleigh County index 1975–2025
Burleigh County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Burleigh 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.
Bismarck, North Dakota (Burleigh County), authorised 248 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −6.8% on the previous 12 months.
167 of those units were single-family houses (67%), 81 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units. That is 3.2 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 2.7 and above the state's 2.7.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 14,377 units, with the busiest year 2013 (1,235 units). Burleigh County's FHFA house price index rose +38.4% over the ten years to 2025.
248units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−6.8% on the previous 12 months
167single-family units67% of the total
0units in 5+ unit buildings0% of the total
3.2units per 1,000 residentsBurleigh County 2.7 · North Dakota 2.7
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Bismarck by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Bismarck
Burleigh County
North Dakota
United States
All housing units
248
278
2,139
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
167 (67%)
197 (71%)
1,519 (71%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
64
64
102
34,814
3–4 units
17
17
74
17,298
5 or more units
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
444 (21%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
3.2
2.7
2.7
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−6.8%
−8.9%
−14.9%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Bismarck by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
14,377 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2013. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Burleigh County
FHFA's index for Burleigh County rose +38.4% over the ten years to 2025 (+3.3% a year) and +3.4% in the latest year, against +45.0% and +5.1% for North Dakota. 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 Bismarck, ND?
248 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 266 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Bismarck?
167 single-family units, 64 in two-unit buildings, 17 in three- and four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Bismarck compare with its county and state?
3.2 units per 1,000 residents in Bismarck, 2.7 in Burleigh County and 2.7 in North Dakota.
How have home prices moved in Burleigh County?
FHFA's index for Burleigh County rose +38.4% over the ten years to 2025 and +3.4% 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 075000); 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.