Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Essex County index 1975–2025
Essex County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Essex 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 Newark, New Jersey, covered 2,392 housing units (+15.4% year on year); the place lies in Essex County.
30 of those units were single-family houses (1%), 528 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 1,834 in buildings of five or more units. That is 7.4 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 5.2 and well above the state's 3.3.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 28,429 units, with the busiest year 2025 (2,190 units). Essex County's FHFA house price index rose +87.1% over the ten years to 2025.
2,392units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+15.4% on the previous 12 months
30single-family units1% of the total
1,834units in 5+ unit buildings77% of the total
7.4units per 1,000 residentsEssex County 5.2 · New Jersey 3.3
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Newark by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Newark
Essex County
New Jersey
United States
All housing units
2,392
4,667
31,546
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
30 (1%)
431 (9%)
13,153 (42%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
204
294
1,178
34,814
3–4 units
324
347
929
17,298
5 or more units
1,834 (77%)
3,595 (77%)
16,286 (52%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
7.4
5.2
3.3
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+15.4%
+32.3%
−6.2%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Newark by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
28,429 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2025. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Essex County
FHFA's index for Essex County rose +87.1% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.5% a year) and +5.8% in the latest year, against +87.7% and +6.2% for New Jersey. 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 Newark, NJ?
2,392 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 2,073 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Newark?
30 single-family units, 204 in two-unit buildings, 324 in three- and four-unit buildings and 1,834 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Newark compare with its county and state?
7.4 units per 1,000 residents in Newark, 5.2 in Essex County and 3.3 in New Jersey.
How have home prices moved in Essex County?
FHFA's index for Essex County rose +87.1% over the ten years to 2025 and +5.8% 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 357000); 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.