Go big and go home. That certainly seems to be the situation in the United States since shortly after the end of World War II.
In 1949, the size of single-family homes was an average of 909 square feet. In 2021, it was 2,480.
But not all states are created equal when it comes to home sizes. American Home Shield, a home warranty company based in Memphis, Tennessee, looked at hundreds of thousands of houses and condos for sale from Zillow to determine the average size of homes in all 50 states and the top 50 cities.
The newer the housing stock, the larger the houses, the study found. Many factors affect the size of homes all over the U.S., but for now let’s take a look at the states with the largest homes. Who knows, maybe you are in one of them.
10. Washington
The average home size in this state: 2,185 square feet
Although the Evergreen State ranks 10th in our list of the largest homes, the state is No. 5 in price per square foot at $335.73.
But not everyone can afford such spacious abodes. According to a survey of Washingtonians by the State Department of Commerce, housing costs and homelessness were the top state’s two problems.
9. North Dakota
The average home size in this state: 2,190 square feet
The average home size actually decreased by 1% between 2018 and 2022, according to American Home Shield.
The Peace Garden State will need to keep building — it reached a population of nearly 780,000 in 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau reported.
8. Montana
The average home size in this state: 2,200 square feet
Even though the Treasure State ranks among the top 10 in home size, the size of homes in Montana has decreased 14.12% since 2018.
While houses remain large here, the ability to house a growing population needs help. The Montana Zoning Atlas, conducted by the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization Frontier Institute, found that affordable multi-family housing development is prohibited or penalized in about half of primary residential areas in the 13 most in-demand communities.
7. Maryland
The average home size in this state: 2,207 square feet
The size of homes in the Old Line State has increased more than 45% since 2018, according to American Home Shield, the third-highest growth rate in the U.S.
But although the size of homes is going up in Maryland, sales didn’t in 2022, when there was a 21.2% drop in units sold, according to Maryland Realtors.
6. Georgia
The average home size in this state: 2,262 square feet
The Peach State ranks 36th in price per square foot at $180.61, according to American Home Shield. Home sales dropped 38% year over year in December 2022, while prices increased 4.4%, according to Redfin.
5. Delaware
The average home size in this state: 2,277 square feet
The size of the average home in The First State has actually decreased by a smidge since 2018, according to American Home Shield.
But despite the fact that the price per square foot was a middle-of-the-pack $223.75, home sales dropped more than 42% in 2022, according to Redfin.
4. Wyoming
The average home size in this state: 2,285 square feet
Despite its high ranking for home size, the Equality State ranks 28th in price per square foot at $189.87, according to the 2022 American Home Size Index.
Wyoming still has the smallest population of any state, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.
3. Idaho
The average home size in this state: 2,311 square feet
The housing market in northern Idaho was a rollercoaster in 2022. Kootenai County saw median home prices rise nearly 15% to $550,000 year over year in December 2022, while sales were down 27%, according to Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors.
Shoshone County’s prices went up 14.4% while sales also dropped 29.2%.
2. Colorado
The average home size in this state: 2,464 square feet
Gov. Jared Polis has a plan to tackle the high cost of housing in the Rocky Mountain State by rolling back building regulations and zoning rules and creating affordable housing development on public land.
It makes sense. The state has the eighth-most expensive homes in the U.S., according to ZeroDown.
1. Utah
The average home size in this state: 2,800 square feet
Whether or not it’s because of home sizes, the Beehive State added 61,242 residents from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022 — with 62% of the newcomers migrating in from outside of the state, according to the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Institute.
The new Utahns will find a relatively youthful housing stock. The American Home Shield’s 2022 American Home Size Index found that the state’s typical home was built in 1989, the third-youngest median year for homes built in any state.
Alex Valdes
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