The rising trend of two or more stories homes reversed in 2023, according to data obtained from the US Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB. The share of homes started with two or more stories decreased for the first time in 2023 after gains in the previous two years. Despite the decline, the share of two or more story homes started remained higher than the share of one-story homes started in 2023.
Nationwide, the share of new homes with two or more stories fell from 52% to 51% in 2023, while the share of new homes with one story grew from 48% to 49%. Though single story homes are more common in the Midwest and South, their shares in the East North Central (Midwest) and South Atlantic (South) declined in 2023. Noteworthy, the share of one-story homes in New England fell to nearly 2021 levels after a significant increase in 2022.
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%.
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