Eliza Theiss Editor’s Note & Correction: This is an updated version of our original study, shifting the focus from median house age to median year built to more accurately reflect the ongoing trends shaping the U.S. housing stock and to account for a previous error in determining the decade-ago median house age.
Key Takeaways:
- The typical American home was built in 1980, four years later than a decade ago.
- In the last 10 years, the median year built has moved forward in 86% of cities with 25,000 or more residents.
- New construction, population growth, redevelopment of outdated housing, migration patterns favoring larger cities and Sunbelt states, gentrification and urban sprawl were the main drivers of advancing median years built.
- Housing stock renewal most dramatic in Williston, N.D. and Farmers Branch, Texas leaping ahead 25 years, while Passaic City, N.J. slid 7 years, highlighting its aging housing stock.
- Jersey City’s 18-year increase in year built marks most dramatic shift among large cities, followed by 14-year increases in Atlanta and Seattle.
- Elizabeth, N.J. and Daly City, Calif. were the only cities with over 100,000 residents where the median year built declined.
- 1939 is the median year built for the country’s oldest housing stocks, found in St. Louis; Buffalo, N.Y.; New Bedford, Mass.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Providence, R.I.
- Frisco, Texas, boasts the newest housing stock among large cities with its median year built as recent as 2009.
- New York housing stock is country’s oldest with a median year built of 1958, Nevada is country’s newest with a median year built of 1996.
- Median years built advanced in all 50 states, with Idaho’s 8-year leap forward the most dramatic and Hawaii’s one-year increase the most modest.
With housing shortages impacting much of the country’s urbanized areas, we looked into the age of housing across the U.S. Focusing on how the median year built of homes has changed over the past decade in 1,839 cities and towns with at least 25,000 residents, we found a significant shift toward newer housing: In fact, the median year built moved forward in 86% of them — 1,574 cities in total. In some extreme cases, the median year built advanced by 25 years, reflecting a rapid pace of development.
Unsurprisingly, new construction was the main driver in pushing the median year built forward. Housing shortages, population growth, and migration trends fueled development across the country, particularly in the Sunbelt. Southern states accounted for 37% of all cities where the median year built moved, while the Northeast supplied only 11% of such cities.
In many areas, the shift toward newer housing was also driven by the redevelopment and replacement of older homes, fueled by gentrification or government programs. In the same way, long-term urban revitalization efforts — such as those pursued by New Haven, Conn. — also drove the renewal and modernization of its housing supply. In other cases yet, recovery from and mitigation of natural disasters was a key factor in reshaping housing stocks and driving the median year built closer to present day, as was the case in Joplin, Mo.
For a closer look at how local housing stocks have evolved in the last 10 years, explore the interactive map below. Zoom in or out and hover over specific locations for quick facts on current and previous median years built:
Big Picture USA: The Typical American Home Was Built in 1980, Making It 4 Years Newer Than a Decade Ago
Taking a bird’s-eye view of the U.S. real estate market over the past decade, the nation’s housing stock has gradually grown younger: In the 1,839 cities with at least 25,000 residents, the median year built moved forward in 86%, remained unchanged in 10% and moved backward in just 4%.
During this period, the U.S. housing supply expanded by 8%, helping to lower the national median year built and making homes, on average, four years newer than they were a decade ago — today, the typical American home was built in 1980.
Hoboken & Jersey City Lead in Housing Stock Renewal Among Major U.S. Cities
While the median year built advanced in most U.S. cities over the past decade, some saw especially sharp shifts, led by Williston, N.D. and Farmers Branch, Texas. In both cities, strong construction and population growth fueled dramatic changes: Williston’s population surged by more than half and the number of homes nearly doubled, pushing the city’s median year built from 1972 to 1997.
Meanwhile in Farmers Branch, the median year built shifted up from 1968 to 1993 as the number of homes rose by 44%, driven by the relentless need for new housing generated by the Dallas Metroplex.
Although the Northeast was home to just 11% of the cities where the median year built advanced, New York and New Jersey still observed some of the most drastic changes.
Middletown, N.Y. recorded the nation’s second-largest shift in median year built, advancing 23 years. This brought the median year built to 1962, still in line with the Northeast’s traditionally older housing stock. Similarly, Monsey and Ithaca, N.Y. saw their median years built move forward by 20 years, prompted by strong residential construction that expanded both cities’ housing stocks by more than 40%.
New Jersey also saw major shifts, with two of its largest cities experiencing rapid housing renewal: Hoboken’s median year built leapt forward 19 years, while Jersey City’s moved forward 18 years. Both cities saw steady population growth over the past decade, with construction keeping pace (Hoboken) or slightly outpacing demand (Jersey City), further contributing to their evolving housing landscapes.
Country’s Oldest Housing Stock Frozen in Place
In the few communities where the median year built slid backward, the shift was generally minimal — just three years at most — except for Passaic, N.J., where it dropped by seven years. Now with a median year built of 1939, Passaic’s housing stock ranks among the oldest in the country.
Only 31 U.S. cities with populations over 25,000 have such a historically dated housing supply, and of those, only Passaic, N.J. and Bay City, Mich. saw their respective median year built decline. In the remaining 29 cities, the housing stock remained effectively frozen in place over the past decade.
In line with regional trends, most of these communities are in the Northeast, with just nine located in the Midwest. Conversely, the country’s newest housing stocks can be found in Fulshear, Texas and Nocatee, Fla., with their median year built as recent as 2015.
While new housing development has brought forward the median year built in most U.S. cities, patterns vary by city size and region. Among large cities with populations over 100,000, only two saw their median year built move backward. However, among smaller cities of 25,000 to 50,000 residents, the median year built moved further back in 57 locations, highlighting slowdowns in housing renewal in the country’s smaller communities.
Aging in Reverse: Nearly All Large U.S. Cities See Newer Housing, but Elizabeth, N.J. & Daly City, Calif. Buck Trend
Across the nation’s largest cities, housing stock is renewing at a steady pace: 315 of the 340 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000 saw their median year built move forward over the past decade. Another 23 cities remained unchanged, while only Elizabeth, N.J. and Daly City, Calif. saw their median year slide back — and even here only by one year.
Among large cities, the oldest housing stock is found in Providence, R.I.; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Rochester, N.Y., where the median year built has held steady at 1939 over the past decade. In contrast, Frisco, Texas boasts the nation’s newest housing stock. A 79% surge in the number of homes has pushed Frisco’s median year built from 2003 to 2009 over the past decade, making this the newest housing stock among the country’s largest urban centers.
Jersey City, Atlanta & Seattle Housing Stock Renewal Most Dramatic Among Country’s Leading Cities
Among the 315 large U.S. cities where the median year built advanced over the past decade, Jersey City, N.J. recorded the most dramatic shift, leaping forward 18 years. Atlanta and Seattle followed closely behind, with both cities’ median year built advancing 14 years.
In Atlanta, a 15% rise in both population and the number of homes helped push the median year built from 1973 to 1987. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Seattle’s housing stock went from a median year built of 1960 to 1974, pushing it ahead of Tacoma (1967) and Spokane (1961).
At the same time, Connecticut’s New Haven recorded the third-highest jump in median year built among large cities, moving forward 13 years to 1952. This came as New Haven saw a flurry of redevelopment in the last few years that has either removed or upgraded aging housing stock.
Considering the current push for revitalizing and growing Connecticut cities that declined since their 1950s population peaks, New Haven may well continue to lead the country in housing stock renewal in years to come.
Next, South Carolina’s Charleston and North Charleston both saw the median year built advance 12 years, stimulated by a growing population and robust construction that expanded both cities’ housing stock by more than a quarter. As a result, the typical Charleston home now has a median year built of 1994, while North Charleston’s stands at 1995.
Further south, the median age of Miami’s housing stock pushed forward 11 years to 1978, fueled by a 17% increase in new homes. On Florida’s Gulf Coast, Tampa also experienced rapid change, with the median year built shifting forward nine years. It’s worth noting here that while Florida’s median year built advanced by only three years, it remains one of the newest statewide stocks in the country, with the typical home built in 1988.
Middle America Mixes All: Growing Economies, Gentrification, Influence of Nearby Metro Hubs & Even Natural Disasters
The vast majority of medium-sized cities in the U.S. also saw the median year built of homes move forward as populations grew, construction increased and older stock was renovated or replaced. That said, it was a smaller share than in large cities, as the median year built trended up in 88% of the 527 cities with populations of 50,000 to 100,000 residents. In 8% of mid-sized cities, the median year built remained unchanged and in 4% it moved back in time.
Gentrification Drives Newer Housing in Hoboken, N.J.; Lakewood, N.J. & Greenville, S.C.
Among mid-sized U.S. cities, Hoboken, N.J. recorded the most dramatic shift in housing stock age, with its median year built leaping forward 19 years. Nearby Lakewood, N.J. followed closely with a 15-year jump, reflecting its rapid expansion as one of the state’s fastest-growing communities both in term of population and housing stock. Not far behind, South Carolina’s Greenville saw its median year built jump 14 years, driven by strong construction that expanded the local housing stock by 30% over the past decade.
Notably, gentrification was a major factor in the renewal of housing stock in all three cities: Hoboken was one of the first New Jersey cities to feel the gentrifying effects of buyers priced out of NYC crossing over for the more affordable home prices of Hoboken and heating up the real estate market.
Meanwhile, Lakewood, N.J. — long an important hub of the Orthodox Jewish-American community — has seen its population further surge in recent years as historically Orthodox NYC neighborhoods have become too expensive. Additionally, Lakewood’s growing educational and economic sectors continue to draw national attention and, accordingly, even more residents.
Down in Greenville, S.C., strong economic growth has put unrelenting pressure on the city’s housing market, especially its lowest-income neighborhoods. As such, the city has significantly overhauled its development plan to address its major growing pains, but the journey has proved challenging so far.
Next up, the median year built advanced 13 years in Joplin, Mo.; Kannapolis, N.C.; Conroe, Texas; and New Braunfels, Texas. In Joplin, this was yet another result of the devastating 2011 tornado that damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 homes. However, it’s also a sign of the city’s resilience and recovery, with the number of housing units inching up only 4% but the median year built leaping ahead 13 years.
In Kannapolis, N.C., economic opportunities and the proximity of Charlotte fueled a population growth of 30% and a 25% increase in the number of homes in just 10 years. This brought up the median year built from 1972 to 1985.
Passaic, N.J. Stock Aging at Record Pace While Horizon West, Fla. Stays Among Nation’s Newest
Among cities of 50,000 to 100,000 residents, Passaic, N.J. saw the most significant shift in housing stock age as its median year built decreased seven years to reach as far back as 1939. This made Passaic’s housing stock one of the oldest in the country.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Horizon West, Fla. boasts the newest housing stock among mid-sized cities, with a median year built as recent as 2013. This community neighboring Disney World saw its population quadruple in just one decade while the number of homes shot up 271%, fueled by metro Orlando’s need for new housing.
Housing in Smaller Cities at Greater Risk of Aging, but Most Volatile to Larger Metros’ Boomtown Effects
As urbanization continues to concentrate populations around major metro areas, smaller cities are seeing mixed trends in housing renewal. Among cities with 25,000 to 50,000 residents, 82% saw their median year built move forward, while 12% remained unchanged. However, the median year built slid backward in 6% of these cities, reinforcing the narrative of an aging small-town America, even in communities nearing 50,000 people.
Younger by A Generation: Median Year Built in Smaller Cities Leaps Ahead by Up To 25 Years
Smaller cities led the nation in housing stock renewal, with the most dramatic shifts occurring in communities of 25,000 to 50,000 residents. Farmers Branch, Texas and Williston, N.D. saw their median years built surge forward by 25 years, while Middletown, N.Y. followed with a 23-year leap. Similarly, Ithaca, N.Y. and Monsey, N.Y. each saw a 20-year jump in their median year built, reflecting strong construction trends. Jump back to our national ranking for more details on these locations.
Other small cities also experienced major transformations. In College Park, Md. and Gallatin, Tenn., the median year built advanced 17 years in the last decade. Both cities were typical for their respective region in terms of population trends, years built and the booming construction looking to meet their metros’ robust demand for new housing.
For instance, the 17-year jump brought the median year built of a College Park home to 1979, the same as Maryland’s, although the tight real estate market of Washington, D.C. was the stronger influence. Similarly, the median year built of a Gallatin home leapt ahead to 2002, while its population grew by half. This is typical for smaller communities in the Nashville metropolitan area that are seeing the results of Music City’s economic growth.
Typical Home in Houston & Jacksonville Metro Built Just 10 Years Ago
In cities where the median year built moved back in time, the most significant decrease was just three years. This trend encompassed communities such as Bay City, Mich.; Chester, Penn.; Bessemer, Ala.; West Chicago, Ill.; and Stockbridge, Ga. Significantly, this pulled the year built of a Bay City, Mich. home back to 1939, making this one of the oldest housing stocks in the country.
While some cities experienced slight increases in housing stock age, others saw rapid housing renewal due to large-scale development. For comparison, the youngest housing stock in the country can be found in the metro of Jacksonville in Nocatee, Fla. and in metro Houston in Fulshear, Texas, where the median year built is as recent as 2015.
Beginning with less than 1,800 homes, Nocatee’s housing stock grew five-fold over the past decade to more than 9,000 homes. At the same time, the number of homes in Fulshear increased 13 times over to nearly 8,200 units, showcasing the impact of booming suburban expansion near major metropolitan areas.
Search and explore the table below for a fuller picture of how the median year built has changed across the housing stocks of all 1,839 U.S. cities with over 25,000 residents:
Methodology
To determine the median year built of all U.S. cities of at least 25,000 residents, we extracted the most up-to-date median year built, population and construction data available from the U.S. Census, using the 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles and 2013 ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles. Information on population growth, migration patterns and changes in housing stock were extracted from the same sources.
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