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State, one year

Massachusetts in 2017

Index change and building permits for the year, with every county.

In 2017 the FHFA house price index for Massachusetts changed +5.7%, against +5.4% for the United States and +4.9% in 2016.

17,728 housing units were authorised by building permits in the state that year (7,278 single-family), +8.8% on 2016; the national total was 1,281,977.

+5.7%Massachusetts index, 2016–2017US +5.4%
17,728housing units permitted in 20177,278 single-family
13 of 14counties with a rising indexmedian county +5.2%
1,281,977units permitted nationally in 2017
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Counties in 2017

Ranked by the county index change from 2016 to 2017 (FHFA annual county index). Permits are units authorised in 2017; per 1,000 uses the vintage 2025 population.

CountyIndex change 2017Units permittedSingle-familyPer 1,000
Suffolk County+8.9%5,235606.6
Essex County+6.9%1,1506241.4
Dukes County+6.4%1401346.6
Middlesex County+6.4%3,6821,4852.2
Plymouth County+6.1%1,4521,0922.7
Bristol County+5.5%8577411.4
Worcester County+5.4%1,6341,1631.8
Norfolk County+5.2%1,7397232.4
Barnstable County+5.0%8714893.7
Hampden County+3.7%2322260.5
Franklin County+3.6%75661.1
Hampshire County+3.4%2892151.8
Berkshire County+0.7%194901.5
Nantucket County−1.8%17817012.1

Permits by year, 1995–2025

Housing units authorised in Massachusetts by year010,00020,00030,0001995: 16,428 units (14,449 single-family, 1,979 in multi-unit buildings)19951996: 17,261 units (15,077 single-family, 2,184 in multi-unit buildings)1997: 17,186 units (15,152 single-family, 2,034 in multi-unit buildings)1998: 19,254 units (16,303 single-family, 2,951 in multi-unit buildings)1999: 18,967 units (15,457 single-family, 3,510 in multi-unit buildings)2000: 18,000 units (14,199 single-family, 3,801 in multi-unit buildings)20002001: 17,034 units (13,030 single-family, 4,004 in multi-unit buildings)2002: 17,465 units (13,636 single-family, 3,829 in multi-unit buildings)2003: 20,257 units (13,037 single-family, 7,220 in multi-unit buildings)2004: 22,477 units (14,842 single-family, 7,635 in multi-unit buildings)2005: 24,549 units (14,585 single-family, 9,964 in multi-unit buildings)20052006: 19,580 units (10,916 single-family, 8,664 in multi-unit buildings)2007: 15,358 units (8,928 single-family, 6,430 in multi-unit buildings)2008: 9,883 units (5,368 single-family, 4,515 in multi-unit buildings)2009: 7,941 units (5,074 single-family, 2,867 in multi-unit buildings)2010: 9,075 units (5,839 single-family, 3,236 in multi-unit buildings)20102011: 7,725 units (4,899 single-family, 2,826 in multi-unit buildings)2012: 11,111 units (5,920 single-family, 5,191 in multi-unit buildings)2013: 14,569 units (7,100 single-family, 7,469 in multi-unit buildings)2014: 14,486 units (7,330 single-family, 7,156 in multi-unit buildings)2015: 17,424 units (6,922 single-family, 10,502 in multi-unit buildings)20152016: 16,288 units (7,641 single-family, 8,647 in multi-unit buildings)2017: 17,728 units (7,278 single-family, 10,450 in multi-unit buildings)2018: 17,044 units (7,169 single-family, 9,875 in multi-unit buildings)2019: 17,365 units (6,292 single-family, 11,073 in multi-unit buildings)2020: 17,025 units (6,754 single-family, 10,271 in multi-unit buildings)20202021: 19,853 units (7,231 single-family, 12,622 in multi-unit buildings)2022: 16,830 units (6,232 single-family, 10,598 in multi-unit buildings)2023: 13,214 units (5,075 single-family, 8,139 in multi-unit buildings)2024: 14,338 units (5,626 single-family, 8,712 in multi-unit buildings)2025: 12,477 units (5,018 single-family, 7,459 in multi-unit buildings)2025

Housing units authorised in Massachusetts by yearsingle-family2+ unit buildings

Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency annual state and county house price indexes (updated March 31, 2026); Census Bureau Building Permits Survey annual state and county files. Public domain. Methodology.