Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Hidalgo County index 1975–2025
Hidalgo County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Hidalgo 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.
McAllen, Texas (Hidalgo County), authorised 1,297 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −15.5% on the previous 12 months.
739 of those units were single-family houses (57%), 352 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 206 in buildings of five or more units. That is 8.6 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 7.0 and above the state's 6.1.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 30,409 units, with the busiest year 2024 (1,722 units). Hidalgo County's FHFA house price index rose +88.4% over the ten years to 2025.
1,297units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−15.5% on the previous 12 months
739single-family units57% of the total
206units in 5+ unit buildings16% of the total
8.6units per 1,000 residentsHidalgo County 7.0 · Texas 6.1
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in McAllen by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
McAllen
Hidalgo County
Texas
United States
All housing units
1,297
6,435
194,150
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
739 (57%)
4,478 (70%)
135,575 (70%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
344
598
5,568
34,814
3–4 units
8
902
1,703
17,298
5 or more units
206 (16%)
457 (7%)
51,304 (26%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
8.6
7.0
6.1
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−15.5%
−12.5%
−10.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in McAllen by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
30,409 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2024. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Hidalgo County
FHFA's index for Hidalgo County rose +88.4% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.5% a year) and +4.1% in the latest year, against +88.2% and +0.8% for Texas. 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 McAllen, TX?
1,297 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 1,535 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in McAllen?
739 single-family units, 344 in two-unit buildings, 8 in three- and four-unit buildings and 206 in buildings of five or more units.
How does McAllen compare with its county and state?
8.6 units per 1,000 residents in McAllen, 7.0 in Hidalgo County and 6.1 in Texas.
How have home prices moved in Hidalgo County?
FHFA's index for Hidalgo County rose +88.4% over the ten years to 2025 and +4.1% 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 446000); 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.