The average apartment size in the United States increased year over year, reversing a decadelong trend of shrinking floor plans, according to new research from RentCafe.
In 2024, the average apartment reached 908 square feet, up 4 square feet year over year. Over the past year, studios saw the largest increase, up 13 square feet, reaching 457 square feet. One- and two-bedrooms also expanded slightly by 6 and 4 square feet, respectively. The average one-bedroom was 735 square feet in 2024, while the average two-bedroom was 1,097 square feet. However, three-bedrooms decreased in size by 15 square feet and averaged 1,336 square feet last year.
Location played a factor in apartment sizes, with most major urban hubs experiencing declines in square footage. However, San Francisco and New York’s Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens were the exceptions, with units seeing an increase in size compared with rentals built before 2015. San Francisco apartments added an average 59 square feet, while Queens added 39 square feet.
Here are some additional findings from the RentCafe research:
- Seattle ranked No. 1 among cities with the smallest new apartments. Units completed between 2015 and 2024 averaged 649 square feet, down 57 square feet from older rentals;
- Portland, Oregon, also saw units shrink by 79 square feet, providing an average of 668 square feet;
- Florida’s Tallahassee and Gainesville had the nation’s largest apartments at an average of 1,120 square feet;
- Apartments in Marietta, Georgia, gained an extra 100 square feet compared with those units completed between 2005 and 2014, marking the most notable expansion in size among the nation’s largest cities; and
- Arlington, Texas, saw units get 215 square feet smaller compared with 10 years ago.
