Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Bell County index 1975–2025
Bell County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recessionPeak before the latest year value
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Bell 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.
Temple, Texas (Bell County), authorised 1,133 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −20.1% on the previous 12 months.
1,036 of those units were single-family houses (91%), 67 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 30 in buildings of five or more units. That is 11.5 units per 1,000 residents, well above the county's 6.6 and well above the state's 6.1.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 21,479 units, with the busiest year 2021 (1,922 units). Bell County's FHFA house price index rose +91.9% over the ten years to 2025.
1,133units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−20.1% on the previous 12 months
1,036single-family units91% of the total
30units in 5+ unit buildings3% of the total
11.5units per 1,000 residentsBell County 6.6 · Texas 6.1
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Temple by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Temple
Bell County
Texas
United States
All housing units
1,133
2,645
194,150
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
1,036 (91%)
2,220 (84%)
135,575 (70%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
64
268
5,568
34,814
3–4 units
3
3
1,703
17,298
5 or more units
30 (3%)
154 (6%)
51,304 (26%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
11.5
6.6
6.1
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−20.1%
−12.0%
−10.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Temple by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
21,479 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2021. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Bell County
FHFA's index for Bell County rose +91.9% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.7% a year) and −2.1% 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 Temple, TX?
1,133 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 1,418 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Temple?
1,036 single-family units, 64 in two-unit buildings, 3 in three- and four-unit buildings and 30 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Temple compare with its county and state?
11.5 units per 1,000 residents in Temple, 6.6 in Bell County and 6.1 in Texas.
How have home prices moved in Bell County?
FHFA's index for Bell County rose +91.9% over the ten years to 2025 and −2.1% 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 690500); 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.