By the numbers
The creation of new real estate lots in Wisconsin is down 74% from its high 20 years ago with developers platting only 5,324 lots so far this year, data obtained by the Badger Institute from the Department of Administration’s plat review office show.
Before developers can build new homes or other structures on undeveloped land, they are required to submit a subdivision plat to local and state governments for review and approval. A plat is a detailed plan of a proposed development showing the new legal boundaries of subdivided lots.
The number of lots platted per year therefore serves as a leading indicator of the building of new housing stock.
The number of lots platted per year in the state reached its peak in 2004 at just under 20,500. It decreased in 2005 to about 20,300, then plunged five successive years in a row to just 1,283 in 2010. This tracks with the U.S. housing bubble and subsequent market crash that occurred due to the subprime mortgage crisis.
In the decade or so since bottoming out, the number of lots platted has crept slowly upward. It reached 5,780 in 2021 before pulling back to 4,639 in 2023. That leaves Wisconsin well below the 12,700 lots that were platted in 2001, before the housing boom.
The underlying numbers
| Year | Lots Platted |
| 1994 | 13,601 |
| 1995 | 13,083 |
| 1996 | 11,467 |
| 1997 | 10,962 |
| 1998 | 12,232 |
| 1999 | 13,399 |
| 2000 | 12,850 |
| 2001 | 12,727 |
| 2002 | 14,485 |
| 2003 | 19,762 |
| 2004 | 20,488 |
| 2005 | 20,332 |
| 2006 | 15,052 |
| 2007 | 8,771 |
| 2008 | 3,720 |
| 2009 | 1,857 |
| 2010 | 1,283 |
| 2011 | 1,694 |
| 2012 | 1,237 |
| 2013 | 2,370 |
| 2014 | 2,482 |
| 2015 | 3,845 |
| 2016 | 3,777 |
| 2017 | 4,970 |
| 2018 | 5,030 |
| 2019 | 4,553 |
| 2020 | 5,383 |
| 2021 | 5,780 |
| 2022 | 5,650 |
| 2023 | 4,639 |
| 2024 | 5,324 |
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