Outdoor Trend: Are Patios on the Decline?

For the first time in 15 years, the share of new homes with patios declined in 2024, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction. Of the roughly 1 million single-family homes started during the year, 61.8% included patios. This is down from 63.7% in 2024 and marks the lowest the percentage has been since 2020.

Historically, fewer than half of new homes came with patios during the 2008-2011 period of extreme weakness in the housing market. But soon thereafter, the share jumped to 52.4% in 2012 and has been climbing ever since. The percentage increased every year from 2012 through 2023 (except in 2015, when it was unchanged) before the dip in 2024.

The 2025 Builder Practices Survey (BPS) conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs shows that the average size of a new-home patio is about 320 square feet, but with considerable geographic variation. The average is more than 400 square feet in the adjacent East North Central and East South Central divisions of the U.S. New home patios are considerably smaller on the other side of the Mississippi River, with an average size of less than 200 square feet in the West South Central, and only a little more than 200 square feet in the West North Central division.

NAHB VP of Survey and Housing Policy Research Paul Emrath provides more geographical data in this Eye on Housing post.