RentCafe: Average U.S. Apartment Size Is Increasing

(Image courtesy of RentCafe; Breakout image courtesy of Blue Arauz/pexels.com)

RentCafe, Santa Barbara, Calif., reported the average apartment size in the U.S. increased last year, to sit at 908 square feet.

Apartment sizes have increased since 2023, reversing a trend of shrinking square footage over the past decade.

The average studios increased in size by 13 square feet year-over-year, 1-bedroom units increased by 6 square feet and 2-bedroom units increased by 4 square feet. Three-bedroom units got slightly smaller, falling by 15 square feet on average.

Altogether, the average apartment grew by 4 square feet year-over-year.

In general, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units make up the majority of apartments being built, at 48% and 39.1%, respectively, in 2024. Studios are 4.7% of the share, and 3-bedrooms are at 6.5%.

But, 1-bedroom units are making up a higher share of newly built units than historical averages, with 2- and 3-bedroom units making up slightly lower shares, explaining some of the disparity in sizes.

RentCafe analyzed 100 cities to determine which locales offer the highest square footage in apartments completed over the past 10 years. Top of the list was Tallahassee, Fla., with new apartments averaging 1,130 square feet.

Highlighting the swings over recent years, however, RentCafe noted that Tallahassee’s new apartments remain 4% smaller than those built before 2015.

Gainesville, Fla., is No. 2 with 1,122-square-foot average apartments, up 1% compared with 10 years ago. Then there’s Baton Rouge, La., (1,055 square feet on average, up 1%); and Knoxville, Tenn., (1,041 square feet on average, down 1%).

Putting up impressive numbers is No. 5–Marietta, Ga. Apartments there average 1,041 square feet, up 10% compared with 2015.

Generally, larger cities are losing space in their apartments, the analysis found. For example, Seattle has average apartment sizes of 649 square feet, down 9% from 2015.

There are some exceptions, however–San Francisco and large swaths of New York City are seeing larger apartments.