North Carolina's metro regions compared: new homes, permits and costs
Charlotte, the Triangle, the Triad and Wilmington side by side: how many new homes each region is building, whether that's up or down on the year before, what a new home costs to build there, and which counties carry the growth. Each region has its own guide with the detail.
The Triangle built the most: 15,307 new single-family homes in the 12 months to August 2026, +1% on the year before.
- Regions
- 4
- with a guide of their own
- New single-family homes
- 39,285
- 12 months, all four regions (Census)
- Apartment & multi-unit
- 16,522
- units, 12 months (Census)
- Permits we read
- 223,900
- last 12 months
The regions side by side
Ranked by new single-family homes, the Census count collected the same way in every county. Each region links to its guide.
| Region | New single-family homes | vs. year before | Units in 2+ unit buildings | Median new-home cost | Permits we read, 12 mo. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Triangle8 counties · 9 permit offices read | 15,307 | +1% | 10,254 | $450K | 32,679 |
| The Charlotte region8 counties · 3 permit offices read | 8,882* | +3% | 1,454 | $205K | 156,145 |
| The Triad9 counties · 2 permit offices read | 8,403 | −3% | 2,852 | $210K | 28,426 |
| Wilmington and the Cape Fear region3 counties · 1 permit office read | 6,693 | +2% | 1,962 | $349K | 6,650 |
New homes and multi-unit buildings: housing units authorized by building permits, September 2025 through August 2026, in the counties grouped under each region, from the U.S. Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey; "vs. year before" compares single-family homes with the 12 months before. Median new-home cost is the construction cost declared on new single-family home permits at the offices we read — it leaves out land, site work and the builder's margin. Permit counts are every permit those offices published, and don't compare across regions: offices that list electrical, plumbing and mechanical work as separate permits (Mecklenburg above all) count far more. * Mecklenburg is left out of the Census totals: recent figures there have a reporting gap.
Where the new homes are going
In every region, a county or two carry most of the new homes. The Census counts cover every county around each metro, including the ones we don't have a permit feed for.
The Triangle
- Most new homes: Wake County, 8,340 (54% of the region)
- Growing fastest: Franklin County, up 22% to 920
- Apartments and multi-unit: 10,254 units, 40% of new housing
The Charlotte region
- Most new homes: Union County, 2,254 (25% of the region)
- Growing fastest: Rowan County, up 30% to 1,024
- Not counted: Mecklenburg County — its recent Census figures have a reporting gap, so it isn't ranked here.
- Apartments and multi-unit: 1,454 units, 14% of new housing
The Triad
- Most new homes: Forsyth County, 2,905 (35% of the region)
- Growing fastest: Davidson County, up 9% to 1,002
- Apartments and multi-unit: 2,852 units, 25% of new housing
Wilmington and the Cape Fear region
- Most new homes: Brunswick County, 4,883 (73% of the region)
- Growing fastest: Brunswick County, up 7% to 4,883
- Apartments and multi-unit: 1,962 units, 23% of new housing
The region guides
Who issues permits in each region, the offices we read, new homes in every county, the busiest ZIP codes and the most active builders and trades.
- The Triangle: building permits guide15,307 new single-family homes · 32,679 permits in 12 months · median new-home cost $450K
- The Charlotte region: building permits guide8,882 new single-family homes · 156,145 permits in 12 months · median new-home cost $205K
- The Triad: building permits guide8,403 new single-family homes · 28,426 permits in 12 months · median new-home cost $210K
- Wilmington and the Cape Fear region: building permits guide6,693 new single-family homes · 6,650 permits in 12 months · median new-home cost $349K
Outside these regions we also read Asheville.
North Carolina's regions: common questions
- Which North Carolina metro is building the most new homes?
- The Triangle: 15,307 new single-family homes from September 2025 through August 2026, across the 8 counties we group with it, by the Census count. The Charlotte region was next with 8,882 (not counting Mecklenburg, whose recent Census figures have a reporting gap). The busiest single county was Wake County, with 8,340.
- Which North Carolina region is growing fastest?
- By new single-family homes against the year before, the Charlotte region (+3%, without Mecklenburg), then the Wilmington region (+2%), then the Triangle (+1%), then the Triad (−3%). The fastest-growing county with a real volume of new homes was Rowan County in the Charlotte region, up 30% to 1,024.
- Where does a new home cost the most to build in North Carolina?
- Of the regions we read permits in, the Triangle, where the median construction cost declared on new single-family home permits was $450K over the last 12 months; the Charlotte region was lowest at $205K. That's the builder's declared cost of construction, not a sale price: land, site work and margin come on top.
- Why don't the permit counts compare from one region to another?
- Because permit offices publish different things. Mecklenburg County lists every electrical, plumbing and mechanical job as a permit of its own, so the Charlotte region's count runs far ahead; several Triangle towns fold trade work into the building permit. Compare regions by the Census new-home counts, which are collected the same way everywhere, and compare permit counts within one office over time.
- Which counties are in each region?
- The Charlotte region: Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Rowan and Anson. The Triangle: Wake, Durham, Orange, Johnston, Chatham, Franklin, Granville and Person. The Triad: Guilford, Forsyth, Randolph, Rockingham, Davidson, Alamance, Davie, Stokes and Yadkin. The Wilmington region: New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender.
Get the permits, not just the totals
Permit Search has every permit from the offices we read in all four regions: the address, the contractor behind it and the permit history of each property. Or get new permits in your ZIP codes emailed to you.