Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Pierce County index 1975–2025
Pierce County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Pierce 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 Tacoma, Washington, covered 1,184 housing units (+80.8% year on year); the place lies in Pierce County.
92 of those units were single-family houses (8%), 170 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 922 in buildings of five or more units. That is 5.2 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 5.6 and close to the state's 4.9.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 23,668 units, with the busiest year 2021 (2,470 units). Pierce County's FHFA house price index rose +132.4% over the ten years to 2025.
1,184units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+80.8% on the previous 12 months
92single-family units8% of the total
922units in 5+ unit buildings78% of the total
5.2units per 1,000 residentsPierce County 5.6 · Washington 4.9
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Tacoma by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Tacoma
Pierce County
Washington
United States
All housing units
1,184
5,339
38,911
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
92 (8%)
1,716 (32%)
17,298 (44%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
96
112
1,294
34,814
3–4 units
74
100
618
17,298
5 or more units
922 (78%)
3,411 (64%)
19,701 (51%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
5.2
5.6
4.9
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+80.8%
+34.3%
+11.4%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Tacoma by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
23,668 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2021. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Pierce County
FHFA's index for Pierce County rose +132.4% over the ten years to 2025 (+8.8% a year) and +2.9% 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 Tacoma, WA?
1,184 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 655 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Tacoma?
92 single-family units, 96 in two-unit buildings, 74 in three- and four-unit buildings and 922 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Tacoma compare with its county and state?
5.2 units per 1,000 residents in Tacoma, 5.6 in Pierce County and 4.9 in Washington.
How have home prices moved in Pierce County?
FHFA's index for Pierce County rose +132.4% over the ten years to 2025 and +2.9% 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 535000); 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.