Building activity holds steady in last five years
Despite COVID and economic fluctuations, construction of single-family and multifamily dwelling units has remained relatively steady – particularly in Washington County. From 2019 through 2023, permits for 15,257 housing units were issued by Washington County and the cities within Washington County. This included permits for 9,057 single-family dwelling units and 6,218 for multifamily dwelling units.
"Units” are defined as individual apartments and dwellings.
In the Tri-County Area, which includes both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties, building permits were issued for 43,005 housing units between 2019-2023. That represents about one-third of the state’s permits for single-family dwelling units and more than half of the state’s multifamily dwelling units.
Single-family dwelling unit permits were more stable than multifamily dwelling unit permits which are likely more sensitive to economic forces like interest rates. Multnomah County, for example, saw a 50% decrease in multifamily dwelling unit permits between 2019 and 2023. In 2023, there were no multifamily dwelling unit permits issued in unincorporated Washington County – the first time since 2010. However, because multifamily construction in Washington County decreased while single-family construction remained steady, the ratio of single-family dwelling units to multifamily dwelling units increased.
NOTE: Washington County numbers include the cities of Banks, Gaston and North Plains.
Related
Building Services
Contact(s)
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Communications, Land Use & Transportation
|