Single-Family Homes Are Expanding Post-Pandemic

Single-family homes are growing in size to accommodate new homeowner design preferences post-pandemic, particularly as remote work becomes the norm and living spaces are transformed into multi-functional flex rooms. As Americans spend more time at home, new construction projects are maximizing square footage, pushing the median single-family floor area to 2,338 square feet and the square footage for new single-family homes to 2,561, NAHB’s Eye on Housing reports.

Since Great Recession lows (and on a one-year moving average basis), the average size of new single-family homes is now 6.3% higher at 2,537 square feet, while the median size is 10% higher at 2,312 square feet.

Home size rose from 2009 to 2015 as entry-level new construction was constrained. Home size declined between 2016 and 2020 as more starter homes were developed. Going forward we expect home size to continue to increase, given a shift in consumer preferences for more space due to the increased use and roles of homes (for work among other purposes) in the post-Covid-19 environment.

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