CITYBUILDER Brief: Michigan Scores, Raleigh Leads
NC's capital proves supply determines rents; the Great Lake State makes progress. Raleigh and Durham start budgeting next month.
On the National Radar:
Michigan Blows Past Housing Goal
In June 2022, Governor Whitmer announced a plan to build or rehabilitate 75,000 housing units statewide by 2027. As of October 2025, Michigan has issued over 86,000 building permits, surpassing that goal two years early.
Picking up steam: Recent years have racked up the highest permit totals, with 22,427 units approved in 2025. The raw numbers are even bigger: Michigan has applied a downward adjuster of 5% to its unit approval count, to reflect that on average, 5% of permits do not result in finished units. Whitmer has now increased the state’s housing goal to 115,000 units by 2027.
