Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.
The ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to shape the U.S. real estate market, influencing both the geographical preferences of families and their housing choices.
Initially, the pandemic prompted a migration of families from densely populated urban areas to more spacious homes in rural or suburban settings.
In recent years, however, return-to-office mandates by employers are further complicating housing decisions. These changes have increased demand for more affordable multi-family housing options, evident in recent construction trends.
Since the peak of the U.S. housing bubble in the early 2000s, the proportion of housing units authorized for single-family homes has decreased significantly — from 78.0% in 2005 to 58.9% in 2015.
But while adequate supply of single-family homes is a current challenge, single-family units remain the norm in most places.
The following is a breakdown of single-family housing in U.S. cities. The analysis was conducted by Construction Coverage using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. For more information, refer to the methodology section at the end.
1. Detroit, MI
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 74.2%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 93.8%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 54.8%
- Total single-family housing units: 180,492
- Total housing units: 243,243
2. Wichita, KS
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 73.9%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 95.5%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 39.5%
- Total single-family housing units: 116,061
- Total housing units: 157,146
3. Bakersfield, CA
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 73.8%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 94.3%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 43.5%
- Total single-family housing units: 94,950
- Total housing units: 128,651
4. Oklahoma City, OK
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 72.3%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 95.9%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 39.3%
- Total single-family housing units: 200,471
- Total housing units: 277,216
5. Fort Worth, TX
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 71.5%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 96.7%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 34.2%
- Total single-family housing units: 246,778
- Total housing units: 345,018
6. Virginia Beach, VA
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 71.4%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 93.8%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 32.5%
- Total single-family housing units: 128,286
- Total housing units: 179,752
7. Albuquerque, NM
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 70.9%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 94.1%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 30.5%
- Total single-family housing units: 172,844
- Total housing units: 243,680
8. Las Vegas, NV
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 70.6%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 92.7%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 38.8%
- Total single-family housing units: 171,746
- Total housing units: 243,223
9. El Paso, TX
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 70.1%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 94.8%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 34.3%
- Total single-family housing units: 172,947
- Total housing units: 246,839
10. Colorado Springs, CO
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 69.6%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 94.3%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 33.3%
- Total single-family housing units: 143,800
- Total housing units: 206,648
11. Arlington, TX
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 68.9%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 96.3%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 36.9%
- Total single-family housing units: 96,859
- Total housing units: 140,525
12. Sacramento, CA
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 68.4%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 94.8%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 39.2%
- Total single-family housing units: 136,995
- Total housing units: 200,189
13. Memphis, TN
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 68.3%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 95.6%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 45.1%
- Total single-family housing units: 173,830
- Total housing units: 254,379
14. Louisville, KY
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 68.2%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 92.9%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 28.5%
- Total single-family housing units: 183,705
- Total housing units: 269,210
15. Omaha, NE
- Percentage of housing units that are single-family: 68.1%
- Percentage of owner housing units that are single-family: 96.5%
- Percentage of renter housing units that are single-family: 31.0%
- Total single-family housing units: 138,340
- Total housing units: 203,273
Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.
To determine the locations with the most single-family homes, researchers calculated the percentage of housing units that are single-family, defined as “single unit, detached” or “single unit, attached.”
In the event of a tie, the location with the higher percentage of owner-occupied housing units that are single-family was ranked higher.
To improve relevance, only cities with at least 100,000 residents were included. Additionally, cities were grouped into cohorts based on population size.
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