Characteristics of New Housing
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Highlights of Annual 2016 Characteristics of New Housing
Of the 738,000 single-family homes completed in 2016:
- 686,000 had air-conditioning.
- 71,000 had two bedrooms or less and 336,000 had four bedrooms or more.
- 25,000 had one and one-half bathrooms or less and 273,000 homes had three or more bathrooms.
- 178,000 had stucco as the primary exterior wall material.
- 200,000 had a full or partial basement.
- 61,000 had concrete framing.
The median size of a completed single-family house was 2,422 square feet.
Of the 321,000 multifamily units completed in 2016:
- 14,000 were age-restricted.
- 9,000 had a fireplace.
- 167,000 were in buildings with four floors or more.
- 213,000 were heated using electricity.
- 134,000 had one bedroom.
The median size of multifamily units built for rent was 1,085 square feet, while the median of those built for sale was 1,706 square feet.
Of the 13,000 multifamily buildings completed in 2016:
- 2,000 had 4 floors or more.
- 12,000 had laundry facilities located in the individual units.
- 4,000 did not have parking in the building or the complex.
- 1,000 had 50 units or more.
Of the 561,000 single-family homes sold in 2016:
- 498,000 were detached homes and 63,000 were attached homes.
- 411,000 were in a community with a homeowners’ association.
- 388,000 had a 2-car garage.
- 124,000 had brick as the primary exterior wall material.
- 396,000 were paid for using conventional financing and 29,000 were paid for in cash.
The median sales price of new single-family homes sold in 2016 was $307,800, while the average sales price was $360,900.
The median size of a new single-family home sold was 2,466 square feet.
116,000 contractor-built single-family homes were started in 2016.
The median contract price was $252,000.
Note: the estimates shown here are based on sample surveys and are subject to sampling variability as well as nonsampling error.
Interactive House
Announcements
10/17/17 - Data for 2014-2016 in all tables of Characteristics of New Single-Family Houses Sold and Contractor-Built Houses Started as well as tables on Age-Restricted Status for New Single-Family Units Completed, Units in New Multifamily Buildings Completed and Units in New Multifamily Buildings Started have been revised to include additional response data that had been omitted from previously tabulated estimates.
8/23/17 - UPDATE: The SOC Microdata files for 2014 - 2016 have been updated and reposted.
Release Schedule
Annual Characteristics and SOC Microdata for the previous year are released on the first workday (exlcuding weekends and holidays) in June of the following year.
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