The share of new homes with decks inched upward, from an all-time low of 17.4% in 2024 to 17.8% in 2025, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the HUD/Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC).
Historically, the share of new homes with decks dropped significantly between 2017 (23.8%) and 2021 (17.5%). Since then, the share has remained largely stable, fluctuating only within the relatively narrow band between 17.4% and 17.8%. Against that backdrop, the share of new homes with patios was generally rising, until it began edging downward in 2024 and 2025. However, prior to 2021, there was an extended period when patios on new homes were trending upward while decks were trending downward. This resulted in a -0.85 correlation between the percentages of new homes with patios and decks over the period of 2005 through 2025—indicating that patios and decks have functioned as substitutes for each other over time. In the SOC, the definitions of the two are fairly similar. A deck is a floored area without a roof, not sitting directly on the ground. A patio is a floored area, with or without a roof, sitting directly on the ground.
Decks and patios also tend to function as substitutes for each other across geographic areas. Among single-family homes started in 2025, decks were noticeably more common in places where patios were comparatively rare. For example, only 26% of the homes in the New England Census Division included patios, while a high of 73% came with decks. Conversely, a divisional high 77% of new homes included patios in the West South Central, while only 2% included decks. Across all nine divisions, the correlation between the percentages of new homes with decks and patios was -0.76.
After New England, decks on new homes were most common in the West North Central (43%), Middle Atlantic (36%) and East South Central (29%) divisions.
Additional detail on the characteristics of new-home decks is available from the Annual Builder Practices Survey (BPS) conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs.
In addition to size, geographic differences in new home deck materials continue to exist. On a square foot basis, builders favor treated wood in the South Atlantic, East South Central, and Mountain divisions. In New England and the East North Central, composite material predominates. In the Middle Atlantic and West North Central, builders are close to evenly split between treated wood and composite. In the West South Central and Pacific divisions, where decks on new homes are comparatively rare, concrete is the top choice.
Of course, decks can be—and often are—added after the home itself is built. In the fourth-quarter 2025 survey for the NAHB Remodeling Market Index, decks tied for sixth place on the list of most common projects reported by professional remodelers.