The average single-family house completed in the U.S. in 2011 was 2,480 square feet, compared to 2,392 the year before, according to results of the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction released recently. The tidbits below as well as many other types of information about new homes are available on the U.S. Census Bureau’s website.
- 33% of the new single-family homes sold in the U.S. had vinyl siding as the principal type of exterior wall material. For attached single-family homes sold, it was 41% and for detached single-family homes sold, it was 32%.
- 88% of all single-family homes completed had air-conditioning. By region, the proportions were 81% in the Northeast, 91% in the Midwest, 99% in the South, and 62% in the West.
- 39% of single-family homes completed had 4 or more bedrooms. 48% of them had 3 bedrooms.
- Of the single-family homes completed with 4 or more bedrooms, 57% had 3 or more bathrooms.
- 19% of new single-family homes sold had a garage that could hold 3 or more cars.
- Of the 138,000 multifamily units completed, 44% had one bathroom, 4% had 1½ bathrooms, and 53% had 2 or more bathrooms.
- The average square footage of multifamily units completed and built for sale was 1,408.
- 9,000 multifamily buildings were completed. Of these, 18% were 2-unit buildings and 13% were 3 to 4-unit buildings.
- 89% of multifamily buildings completed had 1 to 3 floors and 11% had 4 or more floors.
Due to the Survey of Construction’s sample size, statistics are available at the national and regional levels, but not for states and local areas.