Size of New Homes Shrinking in the U.S.

Experts say more builders are building smaller homes to meet demand for cheaper ownership options.

1 minute read

February 25, 2019, 6:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Tiny Home

Jeff Christiansen / Flickr

"For the third year in a row, new homes are shrinking," reports Steve Brown.

Brown is sharing data from the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), along with insight from Rose Quint, a researcher at NAHB who recently presented on the data at the building industry's annual conference in Las Vegas.

According to Quint, homes are getting smaller to help more people afford the cost of buying and owning a home.

"Homes have been downsizing in the past three years," Quint said at the event. "This paints a picture of homebuilders trying to respond to the housing affordability crisis we have in the country."

Still, American homes had room to spare. Preliminary data measures out the average size of a new home 2,576 square feet, down from a peak of 2,700 square feet in 2015.

Friday, February 22, 2019 in The Dallas Morning News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

1 hour ago - SD News

Sleeping in Public

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts

Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

2 hours ago - KSL

Conductor walks down platform next to Amtrak train at station in San Jose, California.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement

An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.

3 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA