Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Thurston County index 1975–2025
Thurston County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Thurston 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.
Olympia, Washington (Thurston County), authorised 223 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +65.2% on the previous 12 months.
112 of those units were single-family houses (50%), 4 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 107 in buildings of five or more units. That is 3.9 units per 1,000 residents, below the county's 5.8 and below the state's 4.9.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 7,017 units, with the busiest year 1999 (499 units). Thurston County's FHFA house price index rose +121.0% over the ten years to 2025.
223units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+65.2% on the previous 12 months
112single-family units50% of the total
107units in 5+ unit buildings48% of the total
3.9units per 1,000 residentsThurston County 5.8 · Washington 4.9
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Olympia by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Olympia
Thurston County
Washington
United States
All housing units
223
1,752
38,911
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
112 (50%)
784 (45%)
17,298 (44%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
4
14
1,294
34,814
3–4 units
0
3
618
17,298
5 or more units
107 (48%)
951 (54%)
19,701 (51%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
3.9
5.8
4.9
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+65.2%
+23.3%
+11.4%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Olympia by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
7,017 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1999. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Thurston County
FHFA's index for Thurston County rose +121.0% over the ten years to 2025 (+8.3% a year) and +2.3% in the latest year, against +113.0% and +1.8% for Washington. 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 Olympia, WA?
223 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 135 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Olympia?
112 single-family units, 4 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 107 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Olympia compare with its county and state?
3.9 units per 1,000 residents in Olympia, 5.8 in Thurston County and 4.9 in Washington.
How have home prices moved in Thurston County?
FHFA's index for Thurston County rose +121.0% over the ten years to 2025 and +2.3% 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 389000); 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.