This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In order to know where you're going, you must know where you've been, says an old adage. And a new UNLV housing supply rankings report is putting that proverb into practice by providing policymakers and the public with the nation's first comprehensive look at how state-level new home permitting activity stacks up—and offering clues on local, state or regional measures that could help drive down skyrocketing prices.
The special issue research paper—published by the university's Lied Center for Real Estate—compiles U.S. Census Bureau building permit data from January to August 2026, compares it to previous years and gives all 50 states and the District of Columbia both an overall and categorical rank in four areas: The report also shows each state's mix—or lack thereof—of housing types, lending insight into potential opportunities for growth in condo, single-family and multifamily units that could bolster opportunities for homeowners or even attract a new resident or economic development base. While the public's attention has historically focused on housing demand and prices, report co-authors Shawn McCoy and Nicholas Irwin say addressing the local issue of supply can have far greater implications for communities.
"Alleviating challenges related to the housing crisis really comes down to a city's ability to actually build housing. People need to be able to afford their home, but if they can't find a home to rent or buy at all, there's going to be a problem," said McCoy, an economist and director of the Lied Center for Real Estate. "So, the question is what can we as a society do in this complicated market to try and get more housing built and put some downward pressure on the cost?
This report doesn't try to evaluate policy or ways to improve housing. Rather, it's a progress report to give state and local policymakers a complete look at where they stack up against others, and where weak or strong spots exist." Irwin, also an economics professor and the Lied Center's research director, added, "The supply side will determine what housing or rent prices people will face in 18 to 24 months. And through political action, community members can encourage more development and put pressure on elected leaders to become accountable for rising housing prices.
Because it is within city and state government officials' control. "They have a lot of significant tools in their chests, from streamlining permitting processes to casting a much wider net when it comes to zoning and beyond, to bend that price curve down by allowing more housing to be built." The nation permitted 968,187 units from January through August 2026, up just 0.05% from a year earlier. That flat total hides states that are moving hard in opposite directions.
Nevada had the steepest drop in the country. Its permits per resident fell 29% in one year (12,662 units to 8,986), and it is one of only two states, with North Dakota, permitting fewer homes than its projected household growth: 1,123 permits a month against 1,245 new households. Nevada ranks 49th out of 51 locales evaluated.
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