Which U.S. Cities Have the Largest Houses?

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on HireAHelper.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are rethinking whether their monthly mortgage payments should go towards obtaining bigger living spaces or securing the ease of nearby work and school proximity.

Today, according to a recent Pew survey, more potential and existing homeowners prefer larger houses with more rooms to accommodate specialized family tasks, rather than smaller houses with shorter commutes to work, school, and consumer conveniences.

That survey conducted in the summer of 2021 is comparable to a similar survey conducted in 2019 before the pandemic hit. The latest survey found that people are now more likely to prefer owning a home in a community where “houses are larger and farther apart, but schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away.” Further, fewer people are willing to own smaller homes that are “closer to each other, but schools, stores and restaurants are within walking distance.”

To identify the U.S. cities with the largest homes, researchers at HireAHelper calculated the percentage of existing homes with four or more bedrooms. Researchers also included the percentage of homes with five or more bedrooms as well as the median home price.

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau and Zillow. To improve relevance, only cities with at least 100,000 residents were included.

Here are the large U.S. cities (population 350,000 or more) with the largest houses.

15. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 19.4%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 4.2%
• Median home price: $215,675
• Median household income: $54,853

14. Raleigh, NC

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 20.1%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 4.5%
• Median home price: $396,232
• Median household income: $69,333

13. El Paso, TX

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 21.2%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 2.7%
• Median home price: $177,832
• Median household income: $48,542

12. Fort Worth, TX

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 21.4%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 3.1%
• Median home price: $281,054
• Median household income: $65,356

11. Phoenix, AZ

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 21.4%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 3.5%
• Median home price: $386,883
• Median household income: $60,931

10. Charlotte, NC

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 22.0%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 5.1%
• Median home price: $343,760
• Median household income: $63,483

9. Omaha, NE

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 22.0%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 5.3%
• Median home price: $245,009
• Median household income: $61,305

8. Arlington, TX

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 22.4%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 3.0%
• Median home price: $289,787
• Median household income: $61,716

7. Las Vegas, NV

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 23.2%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 5.0%
• Median home price: $384,931
• Median household income: $58,713

6. Wichita, KS

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 23.3%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 8.4%
• Median home price: $168,415
• Median household income: $55,056

5. San Jose, CA

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 25.8%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 4.8%
• Median home price: $1,332,518
• Median household income: $115,893

4. Bakersfield, CA

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 26.9%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 3.9%
• Median home price: $348,170
• Median household income: $62,402

3. Aurora, CO

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 27.1%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 7.5%
• Median home price: $470,720
• Median household income: $69,235

2. Virginia Beach, VA

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 30.3%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 6.8%
• Median home price: $346,059
• Median household income: $79,054

1. Colorado Springs, CO

• Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 32.7%
• Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 11.2%
• Median home price: $451,498
• Median household income: $70,527

Methodology

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey and Zillow’s Housing Data. To determine the locations with the largest homes, researchers calculated the share of homes with four or more bedrooms. In the event of a tie, the location with the greater share of homes with five or more bedrooms was ranked higher. As a final consideration, should the four- and five-bedroom shares be equivalent, the location with the greater median home price 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: small (100,000–149,999), midsize (150,000–349,999), and large (350,000 or more).