Houses are getting smaller. Median single-family home size has dropped to 2,191 square feet, the lowest since the end of 2010, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by the National Association of Home Builders. Average or mean square footage for new single-family homes fell to 2,415 square feet.

Just two years ago in 2021, there was a brief uptick in home size due to several factors. As homeowners fled cities and dense urban cores, they sought larger spaces to hunker down. Many looked for houses with extra rooms and spaces that might work for home offices, gyms and classrooms. Many could purchase bigger homes, too, as mortgage rates hit historic lows; traveling had stopped as well, which freed up discretionary dollars for money to be spent on their housing and furnishings and remodeling work.

But that was just a blip in a longer trend in which home sizes declined between 2016 and 2020 as more starter homes were developed, according to NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz.