Median Lot Prices Reach Record Highs in Several U.S. Regions
For the first time since 2019, the national median lot value for single-family detached spec homes did not set a new record high. Ending a five-year trend, the U.S. median lot value for homes started in 2025 declined to $59,000, down from $60,000 the year prior.
However, this national lot value stabilization is not indicative of what's happening regionally. Median lot values in the Pacific, Mountain, Middle Atlantic and East North Central Census Divisions all reached record highs last year.
Builders across the country continue to struggle to secure buildable lots due to these persistently high lot prices on continually shrinking plots of land. In 2005, 48% of homes were built on less than one-fifth of an acre compared to 65% in 2024.
Underscoring the nation's scarcity of buildable land, findings from the NAHB/Wells Fargo House Marketing Index in June revealed that 42% of single-family builders rated lot availability as "poor" and only 17% described it as "good."
The New England and the Pacific regions of the U.S. have the most expensive lots with their median values rising above $150,000. Those areas are also known for restrictive local zoning regulations that enforce low-density development.
What was the median lot price of single-family detached homes started in 2025 by region?
- Pacific, $170,000
- New England, $150,000
- Middle Atlantic, $100,000
- Mountain, $95,000
- East North Central, $80,000
- West North Central, $70,000
- West South Central, $56,000
- East South Central, $50,000
- South Atlantic, $50,000
Read more in this Eye on Housing blog from Natalia Siniavskaia, NAHB AVP of housing policy research.