Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Bayfield County index 1986–2025
Bayfield County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Bayfield 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.
Washburn, Wisconsin (Bayfield County), authorised 22 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +633.3% on the previous 12 months.
2 of those units were single-family houses (9%), 0 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 20 in buildings of five or more units. That is 10.8 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 8.0 and well above the state's 4.3.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 146 units, with the busiest year 2025 (41 units). Bayfield County's FHFA house price index rose +82.2% over the ten years to 2025.
22units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+633.3% on the previous 12 months
2single-family units9% of the total
20units in 5+ unit buildings91% of the total
10.8units per 1,000 residentsBayfield County 8.0 · Wisconsin 4.3
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Washburn by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Washburn
Bayfield County
Wisconsin
United States
All housing units
22
135
25,771
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
2 (9%)
115 (85%)
13,316 (52%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
0
1,306
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
42
17,298
5 or more units
20 (91%)
20 (15%)
11,107 (43%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
10.8
8.0
4.3
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+633.3%
+4.7%
+5.6%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Washburn by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
146 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2025. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Bayfield County
FHFA's index for Bayfield County rose +82.2% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.2% a year) and −0.5% 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 Washburn, WI?
22 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 3 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Washburn?
2 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 20 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Washburn compare with its county and state?
10.8 units per 1,000 residents in Washburn, 8.0 in Bayfield County and 4.3 in Wisconsin.
How have home prices moved in Bayfield County?
FHFA's index for Bayfield County rose +82.2% over the ten years to 2025 and −0.5% 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 904500); 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.