Share of Homes With Two-Story Foyers Increases For First Time Since 2022

For the first time since 2022, the share of new homes with two-story foyers increased last year, according to the Census Bureau's Survey of Construction (SOC). Despite the increase, the market share of two-story foyers has generally trended downward since 2017, with most new single-family homes being built without a two-story foyer both nationally and regionally.

The Census defines a two-story foyer as the entranceway inside the front door of a house and has a ceiling that is at the level of the second-floor ceiling. The share of new homes with two-story foyers slightly rose from 24.6% to 25.6% in 2025, the highest level since 2022, but remains below the levels recorded from 2017 to 2020.

Regional Changes Contribute to National Uptick

In 2025, the share of new homes with a two-story foyer was below 40% in all nine divisions, ranging from 15.1% in the Pacific to 35.8% in the Middle Atlantic. Compared to 2024, the share of two-story foyers declined in four of the nine divisions, including the East North Central, East South Central, West South Central and Mountain.

The East South Central division reversed the notable increase seen in 2024, decreasing from 29.6% to 26.1%. Meanwhile, shares in both the East North Central and West South Central fell to their lowest levels since NAHB began tracking this data in 2017.

Shares of two-story foyers rose in the other five regions. New England increased from 23.2% to 28.2%, the highest share since 2017. The West North Central rebounded from 21.5% to 26.2%, after declining in 2024. The Middle Atlantic continued its upward trend for the third consecutive year, rising from 35.3% to 35.8%. The Pacific rose from 12.8% to 15.1% but still had the lowest share among the nine divisions. The South Atlantic saw a modest increase, from 25.1% to 26.9%.

Why Two-Story Foyers Have Lost Popularity

Two-story foyers are often considered energy-inefficient and undesirable by both builders and buyers. The declining trend is in line with NAHB’s What Home Buyer’s Really Want, in which recent and prospective buyers rated their preference for 18 specialty rooms. The study found that two-story entry foyers were one of the least desired specialty rooms, with 32% buyers likely to reject a potential home with this feature, and only 13% seeing it as an essential/must-have feature.

For more analysis on this topic, read the Eye on Housing post.