WASHINGTON: The number of homes built in the US in 2009 decreased, as did their size.
New US single-family homes averaged 2,438 square feet in 2009, according to the US Census Bureau. The 3.2 percent decrease from 2008 was a record, but the average size was still the fourth-highest on record.
The median floor area of 2,135 square feet was seventh-highest on record.
The Northeast averaged higher than the other three regions in 2009, at 2,594 square feet. At the low end, the Midwest averaged 2,216 square feet. Homes inside metropolitan statistical areas averaged 2,490 square feet; outside MSAs they averaged 2,156 square feet.
Home sizes peaked in 2007, when the national average reached 2,521 square feet and the median was 2,277 square feet. With Census records going back to 1973, the smallest average was 1,645 square feet in 1975.
The percentage of four-bedroom homes declined from peaks earlier in the decade. In 2009, 34 percent of new single family homes had four or more bedrooms, down from 36 percent in 2008 but well above a 1980s low of 18 percent. Three bedroom homes increased from 50 percent to 53 percent.
Garages of new homes are bigger over the long term but a little smaller in the short term, at least as measured by car space. Although it’s not tallied in Census data, many garages are also built larger to accommodate vehicles, workshops, and storage.
In 2009, 17 percent of new homes had garages for three or more vehicles, down from 20 percent in 2005.
Source: Random Lengths
