Americans want more space, but their apartments are getting smaller

Not only is the rent too damn high, the apartment you rent can get pretty damn small.

In 2022, the average size of new apartments was 887 square feet, down 54 square feet from the past 10 years, as developers increasingly focused on increasing the number of studios and one-bedroom apartments. This is revealed in a new report from RentCafe, which shows how the growing demand for rentals continues to show up across the country.

Despite people clamoring for more space during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 saw the biggest decrease in new home space compared to the previous year, down 30 square feet, or 3.2%, compared to 2021.

“This shows how the rental market in 2022 was different from previous years,” says the RentCafe author. Adina Dragos. It also demonstrates how the need for “more space” in the era of the pandemic has given way to the need for “more apartments,” she adds.

As usual, there are some big regional differences in this national report. The largest apartments can be found in Florida and the South, where land is often cheaper than in the more expensive West and Northeast.

Tallahassee, Florida had the largest newly built apartments with an average of 1,182 square feet. It was followed by Gainesville, Florida, Mobile, Alabama, and Knoxville, Tennessee.

When comparing all apartments, both new and old, Marietta, Georgia had the largest apartments, with an average of 1,060 square feet. It was followed by Tallahassee, Columbia, South Carolina and Gainesville.

However, the area with the smallest apartments, both new and old, may come as a surprise. Seattle and San Francisco have the smallest total apartment sizes at 689 square feet, followed by Minneapolis and then Chicago.

Seattle also tops the list for the smallest new build apartments at just 659 square feet, followed by Queens, NY, Portland, OR, and Brooklyn, NY.

Incredibly Shrinking Seattle Apartments Are No Surprise Ashley HayesChief Operating Officer of the Seattle Rental Group and Managing Broker of Pointe3 Real Estate.

According to Hayes, the past few years have seen an influx of developers accustomed to thinking in terms of limits. Even though prices have risen, “if you want something new and can live in that amount of square meters, there’s a lot of demand for it.”

What these new developments offer, which helps make up for the smaller living space, is “reliable amenities,” Hayes adds. These include rooftop pools and terraces, large fitness centers, art studios, common rooms and even office space.

RentCafe data shows that the vast majority of newly built apartments in Seattle are studios and one-bedroom apartments, even as cities in the Northeast have a higher proportion of larger apartments available, Dragos notes.

Manhattan, which may be the stereotypical home for tiny rents, has actually gone through a decade of moving towards more space. In 2022, the average size in the Big Apple was 33 square feet larger than in Seattle.

Hayes says the new configurations are a good fit for many Seattle tenants, reflecting a new reality: although many people don’t drive to work every day and don’t spend their entire lives in their living rooms, as many did in 2020.

“During the pandemic, we saw some people move and increase in size because they needed more space,” says Hayes. “It was just a moment in time, but working from home isn’t going anywhere.”

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