Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Wood County index 1976–2025
Wood County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Wood 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.
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin (Wood County), authorised 15 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −16.7% on the previous 12 months.
3 of those units were single-family houses (20%), 12 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units. That is 0.8 units per 1,000 residents, well below the county's 1.9 and well below the state's 4.3.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 1,364 units, with the busiest year 1996 (175 units). Wood County's FHFA house price index rose +92.0% over the ten years to 2025.
15units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−16.7% on the previous 12 months
3single-family units20% of the total
0units in 5+ unit buildings0% of the total
0.8units per 1,000 residentsWood County 1.9 · Wisconsin 4.3
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Wisconsin Rapids by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Wisconsin Rapids
Wood County
Wisconsin
United States
All housing units
15
140
25,771
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
3 (20%)
122 (87%)
13,316 (52%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
12
18
1,306
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
42
17,298
5 or more units
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
11,107 (43%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
0.8
1.9
4.3
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−16.7%
−10.3%
+5.6%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Wisconsin Rapids by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
1,364 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1996. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Wood County
FHFA's index for Wood County rose +92.0% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.7% a year) and +8.8% 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 Wisconsin Rapids, WI?
15 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 18 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Wisconsin Rapids?
3 single-family units, 12 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Wisconsin Rapids compare with its county and state?
0.8 units per 1,000 residents in Wisconsin Rapids, 1.9 in Wood County and 4.3 in Wisconsin.
How have home prices moved in Wood County?
FHFA's index for Wood County rose +92.0% over the ten years to 2025 and +8.8% 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 967000); 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.