HISTORIC GROWTH TRENDS
Norman is the third most populous city in the state of Oklahoma. Since 2000, Norman’s population has grown by over 33%. Norman is part of the growing Oklahoma City metro area with total population of approximately 1.4 million and growing at approximately 1.5% each year.
Since 2000, over 10,800 new single family homes and 6,100 new multifamily units have been built in Norman. These figures do not include new housing options available on the University of Oklahoma’s campus.
As the county seat of Cleveland County, Norman serves as a regional shopping destination for several surrounding communities. The population of Cleveland County, including in both it’s urban and rural areas, have grown significantly in the past few decades. Cleveland County’s estimated population in 2020 is 295,528 and is continuing to grow at a rate significantly faster than the state as a whole.
Source: ESRI Business Analyst, U.S. Census, City of Norman
Historical Population Growth of Cleveland County, and its two largest cities, Norman and Moore, Oklahoma.
More than 17,400 new housing units have been built in Norman, Oklahoma since 2000.
DEVELOPMENT TRENDS
The charts below show total building permit value for the City of Norman since 2004.
New development and renovations of existing structures reached an all time high in 2021, and remained high in 2022, as evidenced by total building permit values. A significant portion of 2021’s record high is contributed to the expansion of the Norman Regional Health System.
A strong housing market fueled a significant increase in residential development in both 2020 and 2021.
Commercial development remained above average in 2022 and 2023, but did not surpass the peak of 2021. One of the main drivers of this trend is the expansion plans of the Norman Regional Health System in several parts of town. Other large scale quality of life projects also contributed to this trend, including the several NORMAN FORWARD projects, such as the Young Family Athletic Center and the Senior Wellness Center..
To see where development is happening, check out this interactive map from the City of Norman GIS Division.