Construction Demand Index: The Hottest Construction Markets in the U.S.
A modeled 0–100 score that blends real building-permit volume, month-over-month momentum, and year-over-year trend into one comparable measure of construction demand by county.
Which counties rank highest in this list?
As of April 2026, the highest-demand U.S. construction markets by PermitMap's Construction Demand Index — a modeled 0–100 score combining building-permit volume, month-over-month momentum, and year-over-year trend (U.S. Census BPS + FRED) — include Orange, Lee, Palm Beach. Updated monthly.
Rankings — April 2026
| # | County | Permits | MoM | YoY | Demand Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orange County · FL | 797 | +74.4% | +63.2% | 83 |
| 2 | Lee County · FL | 1,382 | +120.4% | -12.1% | 79 |
| 3 | Palm Beach County · FL | 942 | +169.9% | +3.4% | 74 |
| 4 | Harris County · TX | 2,260 | +0% | +3.3% | 72 |
| 5 | Broward County · FL | 396 | +224.6% | +62.5% | 71 |
| 6 | Duval County · FL | 956 | +104.3% | -7.4% | 69 |
| 7 | Pasco County · FL | 823 | +12.6% | +16.5% | 68 |
| 8 | Lubbock County · TX | 461 | +172.8% | +29.4% | 68 |
| 9 | Alachua County · FL | 242 | +130.5% | +90.6% | 67 |
| 10 | Martin County · FL | 97 | +106.4% | +30.8% | 63 |
| 11 | Denton County · TX | 1,043 | +46.9% | -2.8% | 62 |
| 12 | Ellis County · TX | 284 | +32.7% | +23.8% | 62 |
| 13 | Taylor County · TX | 138 | +60.5% | +104.8% | 62 |
| 14 | Tom Green County · TX | 44 | +131.6% | +43.8% | 61 |
| 15 | Coryell County · TX | 38 | +137.5% | +30.6% | 61 |
| 16 | Dixie County · FL | 19 | +850% | +157.1% | 61 |
| 17 | Glades County · FL | 18 | +260% | +66.2% | 61 |
| 18 | Angelina County · TX | 17 | +30.8% | +30.8% | 60 |
| 19 | Washington County · TX | 16 | +77.8% | +77.5% | 60 |
| 20 | Okeechobee County · FL | 9 | +28.6% | +388.9% | 60 |
| 21 | Eastland County · TX | 7 | +600% | +368.8% | 60 |
| 22 | Liberty County · FL | 5 | +400% | +212.5% | 60 |
| 23 | Randall County · TX | 4 | +33.3% | +114.3% | 60 |
| 24 | Reeves County · TX | 4 | +33.3% | +36.7% | 60 |
| 25 | Gonzales County · TX | 3 | +200% | +78.6% | 60 |
Showing the top 25 of 288 ranked counties. Permits and month-over-month: U.S. Census Building Permits Survey (April 2026). Year-over-year: FRED. Demand Index is a modeled 0–100 composite. Dashes indicate a source did not report for that county this period.
The Demand Index volume component is normalized within each state, so cross-state scores are directional rather than exact. State views (Florida, Texas) are internally comparable.
Six-month trajectory
Total permits authorized across all tracked counties, Nov 2025 → April 2026.
| Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr |
| 22,363 | 28,785 | 24,516 | 30,614 | 29,404 | 31,285 |
Market concentration
How concentrated demand is at the top of the ranking.
of permits in this ranking come from the top 5 counties.
Single-family share: 77% of authorized units (vs multifamily 5+).
Frequently asked questions
Which counties rank highest in this list?
As of April 2026, the highest-demand U.S. construction markets by PermitMap's Construction Demand Index — a modeled 0–100 score combining building-permit volume, month-over-month momentum, and year-over-year trend (U.S. Census BPS + FRED) — include Orange, Lee, Palm Beach. Updated monthly.
How is the Construction Demand Index calculated?
The Construction Demand Index is a modeled 0–100 composite: building-permit volume (normalized within each state), month-over-month momentum from the U.S. Census Building Permits Survey, and year-over-year trend from FRED. It is a derived indicator, labeled as modeled wherever it appears.
What is the top market right now?
Orange County (April 2026) leads this ranking with 797 permits authorized and a Construction Demand Index of 83/100 (modeled).
How often is this updated?
Every month, when new U.S. Census Building Permits Survey data is released. Rankings, charts, and figures regenerate automatically from the same dataset that powers PermitMap's county pages and monthly intelligence editions.
Methodology & sources
Permit counts and month-over-month change come from the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (period 2026-04); year-over-year from FRED. The Construction Demand Index is a modeled 0–100 composite of volume, momentum, and year-over-year trend, labeled as modeled wherever it appears. This collection regenerates each month from the same dataset that powers PermitMap's county pages and monthly editions.
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