Is there a trustworthy cost per square foot for building a house in your state?

Published September 28, 2026

What the national surveys give you

NAHB's 2024 survey put construction cost at about $162 per square foot. It rests on 41 builders' answers, and NAHB publishes national averages only because the sample can't support a geographic breakdown. The Census Bureau's 2025 highlights of new housing characteristics report national medians for price and size; the regional figures on that page are shares of features, such as how many homes in the South have a heat pump. Our square-foot guide explains what the national $162 does and doesn't cover.

Permit valuations by state, and the Census Bureau's own warnings

The Building Permits Survey publishes, every year, the number of housing units authorized and their total valuation by state and structure type. Valuation is the estimated value of the residential structure as written on the permit. When a permit has no value, Census accepts an estimate from the permit official.

Dividing valuation by units gives a per-home number for each state. Before you use it, read what the methodology page says:

• there is little detailed evidence on how closely permit valuations match the actual dollar amount of construction work
• because of how permits are applied for, valuations often differ from the true cost
• comparing areas with these figures should be done cautiously and with broad reservations
• since January 2025, residential permit data are imputed with factors calculated for census divisions plus three individual states: Florida, Texas and California

Coverage varies too. Fewer than 1% of privately owned housing units nationally go up in places that don't require permits, but Census notes that share changes a lot from state to state.

What does change at the state line

Codes do. DOE's state pages show Texas on the 2015 IECC with state amendments for homes, in effect since September 1, 2016. For Florida, DOE lists the 2021 IECC with amendments, with the 2023 Florida energy code linked as the current text, effective December 31, 2023. California uses its own 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, effective January 1, 2026. Three states, three different targets for insulation, windows and equipment, whatever the local price of labor turns out to be. How to tell whether a house goes beyond its code minimum is covered in the energy guide.