Slab Foundations Continue to Overtake Basements in New Homes

Trends
Published

NAHB analysis of the latest Survey of Construction (SOC) shows the gap between slab and full/partial basement foundation adoption rates is growing: The share of new homes built on slabs steadily increased from 46% in 2000 to 65% in 2020, while the share of new homes with basements dropped from 36.8% to 22%.

There are large regional differences in foundation types across the nation. Homes in colder areas, where building codes normally require foundations to be built below the frost line, are predominately constructed with full or partial basements.

The division with the highest share of full/partial basements in new homes is New England (79.8%), followed by the West North Central division (77.2 %), the Middle Atlantic division (69.5%) and the East North Central division (54.3%).

New homes with slab foundations are most common in the West South Central (95.7%), South Atlantic (79.4%), Pacific (67.7%) and Mountain (48.1%) divisions. They are most popular in the West South Central division, where new single-family homes have been primarily constructed on slab foundations over the past 10 years.

A warmer climate makes building on slab more cost effective, compared to full/partial basements. Slab foundations also need the least amount of maintenance in the long run. In the East South Central division, 43% of new homes started in 2020 had a crawl space and 38% were built on slabs.

NAHB Senior Economist Na Zhao provides more analysis in this Eye on Housing post.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

House Prices

Jun 13, 2025

Which Markets Have Seen the Greatest House Price Appreciation Since the Pandemic?

House price growth slowed in the first quarter of 2025, partly due to a decline in demand and an increase in supply. But since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, house prices have surged nationally. See which markets saw the greatest - and the least - house price appreciation since the pandemic.

Professional Women in Building Council | Workforce Development

Jun 12, 2025

How PWB Members are Bridging the Skilled Labor Gap in Construction

NAHB's Professional Women in Building (PWB) Council has announced a new workforce development partnership with SkillsUSA, a national education nonprofit.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jun 13, 2025

Household Real Estate Asset Value Falls to Start the Year

The market value of household real estate assets fell from $48.1 trillion to $47.9 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, according to the most recent release of U.S. Federal Reserve Z.1 Financial Accounts. The value of household real estate assets declined for three consecutive quarters after peaking at $48.8 trillion in the second quarter of 2024 but remains 2.1% higher over the year.

Economics

Jun 12, 2025

Producer Prices Rise in May: New Construction Input Analysis

Prices for inputs to new residential construction—excluding capital investment, labor, and imports—rose 0.2% in May, following a (revised) decrease of 0.2% in April. These figures are taken from the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economics

Jun 11, 2025

Inflation Up Slightly in May

Despite inflationary pressure from tariffs, inflation in May rose slightly but came in softer than expected. The Consumer Price Index increased from 2.3% in April to 2.4% in May year-over-year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report.