COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Local governments in the Columbus area are issuing multifamily housing permits at one of the highest rates in the country, according to a recent report.
The real estate company Redfin examined U.S. Census Bureau data regarding construction permits issued for units in buildings with five or more dwellings from July 2024 through June 2025. The analysis included the 78 U.S. metropolitan areas with populations of at least 750,000.
The report found that the Columbus metropolitan area – covering 10 central Ohio counties – saw the fifth-highest rate of authorizations granted for multifamily housing, with permits issued to build 42 units per 10,000 individuals.
North Port, Florida, issued the most permits, giving the greenlight to 65 units for every 10,000 people. Ranking next in a tie at 63.6 units were Austin, Texas and Cape Coral, Florida, which were followed by Raleigh, North Carolina (43.7).
On the other hand, Stockton, California, saw the lowest number of permits granted for multifamily housing, at zero. The metro with the second-fewest permits was Bakersfield, California (0.9), followed by El Paso, Texas (1.6), New Orleans (2.7) and Providence, Rhode Island (2.7).
Across the country, developers obtained permits to build an average of 12.8 multifamily housing units per 10,000 people. The figure includes the entire country – not just the 78 metros that were ranked in the report.
This national rate is down 23.1% from an average of 16.7 during the pandemic housing boom, from 2020 to 2023, and down 1.1% from an average of 13 before the pandemic, from 2014 to 2020.
The report also found that rents have been declining or remaining stable over much of the past two years; however, the median asking rent rose 1.7% last month compared with rents a year earlier.
