The Average American House Shrunk in 2017

For decades the size of the average American house has trended upward. 2017 saw that trend slow and reverse.

1 minute read

June 6, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Another McMansion

Paul Sableman / Flickr

The average American house is almost twice as big in 2017 as it was in 1980, but last year that trend saw a small reversal. "The median home size decreased slightly, to 2,422 square feet, in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual report on the characteristics of new housing." reports Patrick Clark for Bloomberg. Down from 2,467 square feet in 2015, but still up from considerably from 1,645 square feet in 1980 or even 2,370 in 2010.

The trend is not being driven by the tiny homes or mansions, but rather because there are more homes in the range of 1,400-1,799 square feet.

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