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

Economics

Oct 17, 2025

How Diverse Is the Construction Workforce?

Diversifying the construction labor force remains a key priority amid persistent skilled labor shortages. The most notable trend has been the steady rise of Hispanic participation, according to the American Community Survey.

Codes and Standards | Resiliency

Oct 16, 2025

Are Today’s Building Codes Enough to Improve Home Resilience?

In the face of rapidly increasing losses from natural disasters, many housing advocates are pushing for more stringent building codes to make homes more resilient to disaster. But is that the best path forward?

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Oct 14, 2025

Custom Home Building Share Declines in 2024

In 2024, 17.5% of all new single-family homes started were custom homes. This share decreased from 18.8% in 2023 and from 20.4% in 2022, according to data tabulated from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC).

Economics

Oct 13, 2025

Hispanics Comprise Nearly One-Third of the Construction Labor Force

Diversifying the construction labor force remains a key priority amid persistent skilled labor shortages. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, non-Hispanic White workers still account for the majority of the construction industry at 57%. Hispanic workers now represent nearly one-third of the labor force at 32%, followed by non-Hispanic Black workers at 5% and non-Hispanic Asian workers at 1.8%.

Economics

Oct 10, 2025

Vinyl Surpasses Stucco as Most Used Principal Exterior Wall Material

In 2024, vinyl siding was the most used principal exterior wall material for homes started. It holds just over a quarter share of homes, slightly surpassing stucco for the first time since 2018.