Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Roanoke city index 1975–2025
Roanoke city (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Roanoke city'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.
Roanoke, Virginia (Roanoke city), authorised 299 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +171.8% on the previous 12 months.
85 of those units were single-family houses (28%), 4 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 210 in buildings of five or more units. That is 3.0 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 3.0 and below the state's 4.2.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 5,945 units, with the busiest year 2025 (410 units). Roanoke city's FHFA house price index rose +93.2% over the ten years to 2025.
299units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+171.8% on the previous 12 months
85single-family units28% of the total
210units in 5+ unit buildings70% of the total
3.0units per 1,000 residentsRoanoke city 3.0 · Virginia 4.2
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Roanoke by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Roanoke
Roanoke city
Virginia
United States
All housing units
299
299
37,520
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
85 (28%)
85 (28%)
20,665 (55%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
4
4
448
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
130
17,298
5 or more units
210 (70%)
210 (70%)
16,277 (43%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
3.0
3.0
4.2
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+171.8%
+171.8%
+12.1%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Roanoke by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
5,945 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2025. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Roanoke city
FHFA's index for Roanoke city rose +93.2% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.8% a year) and +4.7% in the latest year, against +74.6% and +3.7% for Virginia. 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 Roanoke, VA?
299 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 110 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Roanoke?
85 single-family units, 4 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 210 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Roanoke compare with its county and state?
3.0 units per 1,000 residents in Roanoke, 3.0 in Roanoke city and 4.2 in Virginia.
How have home prices moved in Roanoke city?
FHFA's index for Roanoke city rose +93.2% over the ten years to 2025 and +4.7% 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 065000); 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.