According to the data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), stucco was the most common principal exterior material on new single-family homes started in 2020 (28 percent),  followed by Vinyl siding (26 percent), fiber cement siding (such as Hardiplank or Hardiboard (21 percent), brick or brick veneer (19 percent). Far smaller shares of single-family homes started last year had wood or wood products (4 percent) and stone, rock or other stone materials (1 percent) as the principal exterior wall material.

The Census Bureau’s SOC data is available by the nine census divisions and there are substantial differences in the use of siding across divisions. Vinyl siding was the most widely used primary exterior material in 5 out of 9 census divisions. In the Middle Atlantic and New England, vinyl siding was used in 76 percent and 72 percent of the new homes started in 2020.  In the East and West North Central divisions, vinyl siding accounted for 68 and 53 percent respectively. Meanwhile in the East South Central, vinyl siding was used in 45 percent of the new homes started in 2020.

Stucco was the most common widely used as the primary exterior wall material in the Pacific, Mountain and South Atlantic divisions in 2020: 63 percent, 50 percent and 39 percent, respectively, of the new single-family homes started in those areas used it. Brick or brick veneer was the most common exterior siding material in East and West South Central divisions. In the West South Central, 64 percent of the new single-family homes started in 2020 used Brick or brick veneer as the primary exterior material, compared to 39 percent in East South Central division.

Tags: Building Materials, construction, eye on the economy, housing economics, single-family, starts