By Paul Emrath | RISMEDIA, Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Given that single-family homes have been generally getting larger, it may be tempting to assume that the lots they’re sitting on are getting larger as well. However, according to the Census Bureau’s Characteristics of New Single-Family Houses Sold, the opposite is closer to the truth. The median size [lot] of a new single-family detached home sold was an even 10,000 square feet from 1992 through 1995, then drifted downward until it reached 8,833 square feet in 2004.
After 2004, median lot size bounced back up to over 9,000 square feet for a few years before resuming a downward trend. By 2012, the median lot size of a new single-family detached home sold had fallen to 8,687 square feet, and in 2013 is was still only 8,720–the smallest two numbers in the historical Census series.
Continue reading about changing lot sizes.