The share of new homes with patios fell from 17.6% in 2023 to a new all-time low of 17.4% in 2024, according to the NAHB table of HUD/Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC) data.
In the longer term, the proportion of new homes with terraces has steadily declined since reaching a peak of 27.0% in 2007 and 2008. Amid this decline, the proportion of new homes with terraces has trended upward, from under 50% to over 60% (despite a slight reversal of the upward trend in 2024). From the SOC redesign in 2005 to 2024, the correlation between the percentage of new homes with decks and patios is -0.85, suggesting that patios and patios act as replacements over time—that is, as patios become more common, they displace patios.
Decks and patios seem to be a replacement everywhere in the United States. Among single-family homes put into operation in 2024, terraces tended to be more common, while terraces were comparatively rare. For example, only 14% of homes in the New England Census Division had patios, down from a high of 69%. Conversely, 82% of new homes in West South Central had patios, while only 3% had patios. Across all nine divisions, the correlation between the percentage of new homes with patios and patios was -0.77.
However, patios remain relatively popular on new homes in some parts of the country. In addition to New England, more than 30% of new homes in the West-North Central (46%), Mid-Atlantic (34%) and East-South Central (31%) divisions had patios. Additionally, in the latest edition of What Home Buyers Really Want, 79% of recent and potential home buyers rated a patio as an essential or desirable feature.
For more details on deck characteristics for new construction, see the annual Builder Practices Survey (BPS) conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs.
Nationally, the 2025 BPS report (based on homes built in 2024) shows that the average size of a terrace on a new single-family home is 278 square feet. Across all census tracts, the average ranges from a low of 163 square feet in the West South Central to a high of 422 square feet in the Mountain District.
Beyond size, there continue to be strong geographic differences in builders' choice of decking materials. On a square foot basis, treated lumber is the most popular choice in the New England, South Atlantic, East South Central and Mountain divisions. Composite material predominates in the Mid-Atlantic, East-North-Central and West-North-Central. In the Pacific Division, builders use concrete more than any other material, while in the West South Central there is a roughly even split between treated wood and concrete.
Of course, decks can – and often are – added after the home itself is built. In the fourth quarter 2024 NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index survey, decks ranked seventh out of 22 remodeling projects listed and were cited as a common task by 23% of professional remodelers who responded to the survey.