Eye On Housing
A majority of new homes that completed construction in 2018 included two-car garages (64%), according to NAHB analysis of 2018 Census Bureau Survey of Construction data.
There is clear uniformity for parking options in new homes completed across the Census divisions. Except for West North Central division, the 2-car garage was the largest share of completed homes in all other divisions.
In the West North Central division, 3 or more car garages were associated with 48% of all completed homes, while 2-car garages were the second largest share at 45%. The South Atlantic division had the highest share of 2-car garages with 71%. One-car garages were most popular in the Middle Atlantic division (25%), while “other” which includes carport, off-street parking, and other parking facilities was the largest share in New England (23%).
For new single-family completions in 2018, 64% of homes offered a two-car garage. Another 21% of homes possessed a garage large enough to hold three or more cars. Just 7% of newly-built homes had a one-car garage, and only 1% possessed a carport. Another 7% of new homes had no garage or carport.
The 2018 data indicates that as the size of the completed home increases, the share of 1-car garage or other declines. “Other” includes carport, off-street parking (including a driveway with no garage or carport), and other parking facilities. At the same time, the share of completed homes with 2 or more garages increased as the square footage of the house increased.
As shown in the figure below, the smaller the size of the house, the larger the share of 1-car or other parking facilities. The “other” category is the largest share of homes with less than 1,200 square feet at 61%, but as the square footage of the home increases, the share of homes with “other” parking options, declines to 2% in homes larger than 5,000 square feet. The percentage of completed homes with a 1-car garage is at 18% for homes between 1,200-1,599 square feet, the highest share in its category. The proportion of completed homes with a 1-car garage is the lowest at 0.4% for homes larger than 5,000 square feet.
As house size increases, 2-car garages become the largest share of parking options. The share of 2-car garages are at 72% for completed homes between 1,600-1,999 square feet and it increases to 78% for homes between 2,000-2,399 square feet. However, for homes between 2,400-2,999 square feet, the share of 2-car garages drops to 72% and continues to decline as the home size increase from there. Three-car garages are only 4% of the homes less than 1,200 square feet but continues to increase as the square footage of the completed home increases. For completed homes larger than 5,000 square feet, 3-cars or more parking option becomes the most likely setup, at 69%.
Thanks for the data and the presentation format. It’s easy to read and digest. I’d like to know if your data addressed front load or rear load garages. What’s the trend and is there a cost differential? Thanks again.
Thank you for the comment. Unfortunately, the data doesn’t break down to that granular level.