One-Story Homes Becoming More Popular in New Builds

Over half of new single-family homes built in 2025 were two or more stories, according to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction. But the share of homes started with two or more stories fell in 2025, reflecting increased building activity in regions that prefer single-story homes.

Nationwide, the share of new homes with two or more stories fell from 52.5% in 2024 to 51.4% in 2025, while the share of new homes with one story rose from 47.5% to 48.6%. This share varied significantly across the nation.

Two-story homes remain more popular in most areas of the country. But the areas seeing the most new homes built tend to prefer single-story homes. 

The Northeast and the West had higher shares of two or more stories, while the entire Central time zone saw more single-story homes.

In the Midwest, single-story homes accounted for 55.7% of new homes started in the East North Central division and 54.3% in the West North Central division. In the South, single-story shares reached 61.7% in East South Central and 56.6% in West South Central. The South Atlantic division was the exception, with two or more story homes still the majority (54.2%).

Compared with 2024, single-story shares rose in the East North Central and East South Central divisions to multiyear highs.

Even in areas that prefer multistory homes, the single-story share is growing. For example, the single-story share in the Pacific has increased in seven of the last eight years, from 32.7% in 2017 to 47.5% in 2025. This could reflect the increased cost to build homes and developers focusing more on moderate and low-cost housing.

For more on the data, see this post on the NAHB economics blog Eye on Housing.