Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Eau Claire County index 1977–2025
Eau Claire County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Eau Claire 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 Altoona, Wisconsin, covered 94 housing units (+42.4% year on year); the place lies in Eau Claire County.
6 of those units were single-family houses (6%), 32 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 56 in buildings of five or more units. That is 10.0 units per 1,000 residents, well above the county's 6.3 and well above the state's 4.3.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 2,053 units, with the busiest year 2020 (256 units). Eau Claire County's FHFA house price index rose +99.4% over the ten years to 2025.
94units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+42.4% on the previous 12 months
6single-family units6% of the total
56units in 5+ unit buildings60% of the total
10.0units per 1,000 residentsEau Claire County 6.3 · Wisconsin 4.3
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Altoona by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Altoona
Eau Claire County
Wisconsin
United States
All housing units
94
690
25,771
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
6 (6%)
183 (27%)
13,316 (52%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
32
92
1,306
34,814
3–4 units
0
4
42
17,298
5 or more units
56 (60%)
411 (60%)
11,107 (43%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
10.0
6.3
4.3
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+42.4%
−20.0%
+5.6%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Altoona by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
2,053 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2020. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Eau Claire County
FHFA's index for Eau Claire County rose +99.4% over the ten years to 2025 (+7.1% a year) and +4.1% in the latest year, against +95.5% and +5.4% for Wisconsin. 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 Altoona, WI?
94 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 66 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Altoona?
6 single-family units, 32 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 56 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Altoona compare with its county and state?
10.0 units per 1,000 residents in Altoona, 6.3 in Eau Claire County and 4.3 in Wisconsin.
How have home prices moved in Eau Claire County?
FHFA's index for Eau Claire County rose +99.4% 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 019500); 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.