Illinois ranked third among states where no one wants to buy a new home, according to a ranking compiled by 24/7 Wall St.

Building permits are an indicator of future home construction. Since the 2007 housing crash, building permit activity has fallen nearly every month.

Illinois has seen an 85 percent decrease in new housing permits since 2005, making it the third largest drop in the country, behind front-runners Rhode Island and West Virginia.

So far, there have been 4,897 building permits issued in Illinois in 2011. That is .09 percent of the total housing units in the state.

According to 24/7 Wall St, most data the public sees is based on home prices, number of homes sold or foreclosures. On those lists, California, Nevada and Florida are usually at the top of the list.

The 24/7 Wall St. analysis, which looks at housing permits, is a way to look ahead at what is likely to happen in the markets in the next year.