Share of One-Story New Homes Increased in 2023
In 2023, data from the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), analyzed by NAHB, revealed a reversal in the upward trend of two or more story homes. For the first time in two years, the proportion of homes beginning construction with two or more stories decreased. However, despite this decline, the share of two or more story homes remained higher than that of one-story homes started in 2023.
According to the NAHB, looking deeper, five of the nine divisions saw a greater share of newly-built two or more stories homes. Among these, New England and the Middle Atlantic had significantly higher proportions (83% and 78%) of two or more stories homes. This proportion increased notably in New England, from 75% in 2022, jumping eight percentage points. In contrast, new homes started with two or more stories in the Mountain and Pacific division were at 52% and 57%, both lower than the previous year. By and large, the greatest concentrations of two-or-more story homes were in divisions along the coasts of the country.
New homes started in the Midwest and South generally showed a stronger preference for single-story homes, except for the South Atlantic division. In the Midwest (East North Central and West North Central), 52% and 59% of new homes started were one-story, while in the South (East South Central and West South Central), the shares were 60% and 58%.
