The average time needed to complete construction of a multifamily building after obtaining authorization edged down in 2025, according to the 2025 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau. On average, it took 18.9 months from permit to completion, about 0.7 months shorter than in 2024. While construction timelines remain lengthy, this modest decline occurred despite the industry continuing to face a shortage of skilled labor.

Although multifamily construction time shortened in 2025, it remained lengthy compared to historical trends. The average time from permit to completion was still 3.5 months longer than the 15.4 months recorded in 2009 and almost 7 months longer than the period low of 12 months in 2013. Most of this long-term increase occurred during the construction phase. The average time from start to completion rose from 13.4 months in 2009 to 16.5 months in 2025, partly due to the growing share of larger multifamily buildings. The share of multifamily buildings with 50 units or more increased from 43% in 2009 to 57% in 2025, and larger buildings generally take longer to complete.

The average time to build multifamily homes varies with the number of units in the building. Despite the modest improvement for most building sizes in 2025, the construction times remained much longer than they were a decade earlier. In 2025, buildings with 20 or more units took the longest to build after obtaining authorization at 21.7 months, compared with 16.2 months in 2015 and 22.1 months in 2024. By contrast, 2-to-4-unit buildings were finished the fastest, averaging 14.9 months, up from 12 months in 2015 but slightly below 15.3 months in 2024. Mid-sized projects fell in between, with 10-to-19-unit buildings averaging 18.5 months in 2025, compared with 14 months in 2015 and 19.2 months in 2024, while buildings with 5-to-9-units averaged 21.5 months, up sharply from 13.2 months in 2015 and 19.1 months in 2024.

The 2025 SOC data also show a significant regional variation in the average construction duration of multifamily buildings. The Northeast had the longest time from authorization to completion at 21.9 months, followed by the West at 20.6 months, and then the South with 17.5 months. The shortest permit-to-completion period happened in the Midwest with 16.6 months.