The U.S. Census Bureau recently released the 2018 Characteristics of New Housing Report, which provides annual statistics on the characteristics of new privately-owned residential structures by census region.
Highlights of Annual 2018 Characteristics of New Housing
Of the 345,000 multifamily units completed in 2018,
- 150,000 had one bedroom and 35,000 had three bedrooms or more.
- 341,000 were conventional apartments and 3,000 were townhouses.
- 216,000 were in buildings with four floors or more.
- 302,000 had individual laundry facilities and 28,000 had shared laundry facilities.
- 235,000 were in buildings framed in wood and 31,000 were in buildings framed in steel.
The median size of multifamily units built for rent was 1,081 square feet, while the median of those built for sale was 1,414 square feet.
Of the 617,000 single-family homes sold in 2018:
- 548,000 were detached homes and 69,000 were attached homes.
- 278,000 had three bedrooms.
- 380,000 were heated using gas.
- 461,000 were purchased using conventional financing and 39,000 were purchased using cash.
- 172,000 had stucco as the primary exterior wall material.
- 556,000 had wood framing.
The median sales price of new single-family homes sold in 2018 was $326,400, while the average sales price was $385,000.
The median size of a new single-family home sold in 2018 was 2,435 square feet.
The report includes characteristics such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the location of the laundry, the presence of a homeowner’s association, the buyer’s source of financing and the structure’s square footage. The survey uses data collected by the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction, which is jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
For more information, visit the Characteristics of New Housing web page. Also, check out this interactive graphic on new single-family homes in 2018.