The U.S. Census Bureau released in July its 2018 Characteristics of New Housing Report, which provides annual statistics on new, privately owned residential structures. Here’s a sample of the nationwide data in the report. 

  • The median sales price of new single- family homes sold in 2018 was $326,400, while the average sales price was $385,000.
  • 119,000 contractor-built single-family homes were started in 2018. The median contract price was $281,200.
  • Of the 840,000 single-family homes completed in 2018:
    • 84,000 had two bedrooms or less
    • 376,000 had four bedrooms or more
    • 31,000 had one and one-half bathrooms or less
    • 306,000 homes had three or more bathrooms
    • 778,000 were framed in wood
    • 59,000 were framed using concrete
    • 270,000 had a patio and a porch
    • 69,000 had no outdoor features.
  • The median size of a completed single-family house was 2,386 square feet. Of the 345,000 multifamily units completed in 2018:
    • 150,000 had one bedroom
    • 35,000 had three bedrooms or more
    • 341,000 were conventional apartments
    • 3,000 were townhouses
    • 216,000 were in buildings with four floors or more
    • 302,000 had individual laundry facilities
    • 28,000 had shared laundry facilities
    • 235,000 were in buildings framed in wood
    • 31,000 were in buildings framed in steel.
  • The median size of multifamily units built for rent was 1,081 square feet, while the median of those built for sale was 1,414 square feet.