City rankings

How U.S. cities compare on commercial permits

Each ranking is recalculated daily from official city permit records, explains how it was measured and lists separately any city whose data can’t be compared fairly.

• How long commercial building permits take

  Median days from application to issue, city by city, from the dates in each city's own records.

• Cities with the most commercial construction permits

  Commercial and multifamily projects permitted in the last 90 days, with permits and declared value.