Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed
Median size of new single-family homes completed, square feet, by quarter
Where the Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed stands now
The Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed was 2,000 in the second quarter of 2026. Since 1987 it has ranged from 2,000 in the first quarter of 1987 to 2,000 in the third quarter of 2015.
How the Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed has moved since 1987
Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed: down since 2022
Median square feet, new privately owned single-family houses completed, seasonally adjusted, Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Survey of Construction: 2,000 in the second quarter of 2026, down from 2,000 a year earlier. Quarterly, 1987–2026.
What the Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed measures
Measurement basis: Median floor area, in square feet, of new privately owned single-family houses completed in the quarter, seasonally adjusted, from the Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Survey of Construction (FRED COMPSFLAM1FQ). The stored value is a number of square feet. A smaller median means builders are completing smaller homes, which they do when buyers cannot afford larger ones; it is a market response to affordability, not a measure of any household's distress.
Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed by quarter, 1987 to 2026
| Quarter | Count | Change from a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2026 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2025 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2025 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2025 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2025 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2024 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2024 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2024 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2024 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2023 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2023 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2023 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2023 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2022 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2022 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2022 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2022 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2021 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2021 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2021 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2021 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2020 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2020 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2020 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2020 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2019 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2019 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2019 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2019 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2018 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2018 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2018 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2018 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2017 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2017 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2017 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2017 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2016 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2016 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2016 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2016 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2015 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2015 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2015 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2015 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2014 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2014 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2014 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2014 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2013 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2013 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2013 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2013 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2012 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2012 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2012 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2012 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2011 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2011 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2011 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2011 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2010 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2010 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2010 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2010 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2009 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2009 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2009 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2009 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2008 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2008 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2008 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2008 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2007 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2007 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2007 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2007 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2006 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2006 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2006 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2006 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2005 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2005 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2005 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2005 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2004 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2004 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2004 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2004 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2003 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2003 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2003 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2003 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2002 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2002 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2002 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2002 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2001 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2001 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2001 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2001 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 2000 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 2000 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 2000 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 2000 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1999 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1999 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1999 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1999 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1998 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1998 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1998 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1998 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1997 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1997 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1997 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1997 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1996 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1996 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1996 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1996 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1995 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1995 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1995 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1995 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1994 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1994 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1994 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1994 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1993 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1993 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1993 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1993 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1992 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1992 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1992 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1992 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1991 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1991 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1991 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1991 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1990 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1990 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1990 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1990 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1989 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1989 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1989 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1989 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1988 | 2K | 0 |
| Q3 1988 | 2K | 0 |
| Q2 1988 | 2K | 0 |
| Q1 1988 | 2K | 0 |
| Q4 1987 | 2K | — |
| Q3 1987 | 2K | — |
| Q2 1987 | 2K | — |
| Q1 1987 | 2K | — |
Quarterly · U.S. Census Bureau data retrieved via FRED (COMPSFLAM1FQ)
Counties with the highest debt burden scores
There's no county figure for this measure, so this list uses the debt burden part of our County Distress Index.
| Rank | County | Score (0–100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bronx County, NY | 99.6 |
| 2 | Miami-Dade County, FL | 99.4 |
| 3 | Rockland County, NY | 99.4 |
| 4 | Clayton County, GA | 99.1 |
| 5 | Broward County, FL | 99 |
| 6 | Palm Beach County, FL | 98.8 |
| 7 | Santa Barbara County, CA | 98.4 |
| 8 | St. Lucie County, FL | 98.4 |
| 9 | Osceola County, FL | 98.3 |
| 10 | Orleans Parish, LA | 98 |
Questions about the Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed
What does the median size of new homes measure?
The floor area of the new single-family houses builders completed in a quarter, at the middle of the distribution. It comes from the Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Survey of Construction.
Why does a shrinking new home say something about affordability?
Size is one of the few things a builder can change quickly. When buyers cannot afford what builders were putting up, builders put up less house, so the median is a reading on what buyers can carry, taken from the supply side.
Does it include apartments, condos or manufactured homes?
No. Only single-family houses built for sale or for the owner. Apartments and condominiums are counted in a separate multifamily series, and manufactured homes are not in the survey.
Is the series seasonally adjusted?
Yes. The quarterly medians are seasonally adjusted (FRED COMPSFLAM1FQ). The Census Bureau's annual Characteristics of New Housing gives the same measure by region and year without adjustment.
Sources and method for the Median Size of New Single-Family Homes Completed
- U.S. Census Bureau data retrieved via FRED (COMPSFLAM1FQ) Measurement basis: Median floor area, in square feet, of new privately owned single-family houses completed in the quarter, seasonally adjusted, from the Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Survey of Construction (FRED COMPSFLAM1FQ). The stored value is a number of square feet. A smaller median means builders are completing smaller homes, which they do when buyers cannot afford larger ones; it is a market response to affordability, not a measure of any household's distress. We use the quarterly figures as published, from the first quarter of 1987 through the second quarter of 2026, with no adjustment of our own. U.S. Census Bureau doesn’t adjust this count for the season, so compare a quarter with the same quarter a year earlier. U.S. Census Bureau’s report
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