Where the pace points: at the City's pace so far, Memphis would reach about 8,392 units by the end of 2030. Reaching 10,000 means growing from about 100 to about 132 units a month. That's the work ahead, and every unit counts.
Pipeline figures are units planned or underway, not additional completed units. City housing presentation
Our independent check: building permits
The City counts units when they're finished. Permits come first, so they show what's on the way. Since January 2024, permits cover about 1,552–2,584 new units (houses and apartments) and 1,203–2,351 units being rehabbed (City permit data through October 30, 2026).
Units in permits, month by month
counted for certain · likely, included in the high end. The latest month fills in as the City posts permits.
Where units are being permitted
| ZIP | Area | Units | New |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38018 | Cordova | 4–541 | 494 |
| 38127 | Frayser | 218–495 | 167 |
| 38111 | University District | 247–308 | 114 |
| 38128 | Raleigh | 110–277 | 77 |
| 38114 | Orange Mound | 219–268 | 161 |
| 38125 | Southeast Memphis | 90–263 | 202 |
| 38117 | East Memphis | 208–260 | 24 |
| 38109 | Westwood | 191–228 | 134 |
| 38107 | North Memphis | 176–223 | 107 |
| 38112 | Binghampton | 174–206 | 99 |
| 38106 | South Memphis | 143–191 | 110 |
| 38104 | Midtown | 132–172 | 39 |
| 38115 | Hickory Hill | 129–142 | 111 |
| 38120 | River Oaks | 124–141 | 26 |
| 38122 | Berclair | 83–131 | 70 |
Biggest projects
| Project | Where | Units | Permitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| New apartment building (310 units stated) estimate | 9901 Dahlgren Cv · 38018 | 310 | Feb 16 |
| Apartment renovation (241 units, cosmetic) estimate | 2513 Woodcliff Dr · 38127 | 241 | Aug 21 |
| Apartment renovation (140 units, cosmetic) estimate | 3548 Westline Dr · 38128 | 140 | Dec 30 |
| New apartment building (103 units stated) | 2768 Mount Moriah Pkwy · 38115 | 103 | Sep 24 |
| New residential building (about 101 units, estimated from cost) estimate | 8660 Terrace Lake Dr W · 38125 | 101 | Sep 3 |
| New residential building (about 38 units, estimated from cost) estimate | 8630 Terrace Lake Dr W · 38125 | 38 | Sep 3 |
| New apartment building (32 units stated) estimate | 9974 Birchmont Dr | 32 | Sep 22 |
| New apartment building (32 units stated) estimate | 9975 Birchmont Dr | 32 | Sep 22 |
| New apartment building (32 units stated) estimate | 9980 Briarstone Cv E | 32 | Sep 22 |
| New apartment building (32 units stated) estimate | 9960 Greenvale Cv | 32 | Sep 22 |
| New apartment building (32 units stated) estimate | 9940 Birchmont Dr | 32 | Sep 22 |
| New apartment building (32 units stated) estimate | 9940 Kingsford Ln · 38018 | 32 | Sep 22 |
| New apartment building (32 units stated) estimate | 9950 Briarstone Cv W | 32 | Sep 22 |
| New apartment building (32 units stated) estimate | 9945 Birchmont Dr | 32 | Sep 22 |
| New residential building (about 25 units, estimated from cost) estimate | 3337 Summer Ave · 38122 | 25 | May 12 |
Why we're counting
Memphis needs more homes people can afford, and the City has put a number on it: 10,000 new or rehabbed housing units by 2030, both affordable and market-rate. That's a goal worth cheering for, and goals like this get reached when people can see the progress.
10K Watch is our way of supporting it: a simple, public scoreboard anyone can check. When the count climbs, celebrate the builders, nonprofits, churches and neighbors doing the work. When it slows, it's a call to action, not a gotcha.
10K Watch is independent and isn't run by or affiliated with the City of Memphis. We show the City's reported numbers as published, with the date and a link, next to our own permit count.
How we count
A housing unit is one place to live: a house is 1 unit, a duplex is 2, and an apartment building counts each apartment.
Two numbers, side by side:
- The City's count (the big number) is housing units completed since January 2024, new and rehabbed, as reported by the City of Memphis. We update it whenever the City publishes a new figure, and show the date and source.
- Our permit count reads every building permit the City issues (its open data, updated about every two weeks) since January 2024. Permits come before completions, so this shows what's on the way. Permits don't say how many units they create, so we give a range:
- Low end, counted for certain: new houses inside Memphis (a duplex counts as 2 units), apartment buildings whose permit states the number of units, and rehabs of $50,000 or more.
- High end, likely: adds Cordova (partly inside the city), new residential buildings whose units we estimate from cost (about $150,000 per unit), rehabs of $25,000 or more, and cosmetic apartment refreshes.
- Not counted: roofs, fences, pools, sheds and repairs under $25,000; commercial buildings; permits outside Memphis. A renovation listed on several permits counts once.
A permit means work is approved to start, not finished. The newest weeks fill in as the City posts permits (latest permit in the data: October 30, 2026). See something off? Tell us and we'll fix it.
PermitPulse puts Memphis and Shelby County building permits, zoning cases, code cases and tax-sale properties on one map, with address reports and alerts.