Slab Foundations Continue to Overtake Basements in New Homes
NAHB analysis of the latest Survey of Construction (SOC) shows the gap between slab and full/partial basement foundation adoption rates is growing: The share of new homes built on slabs steadily increased from 46% in 2000 to 65% in 2020, while the share of new homes with basements dropped from 36.8% to 22%.
There are large regional differences in foundation types across the nation. Homes in colder areas, where building codes normally require foundations to be built below the frost line, are predominately constructed with full or partial basements.
The division with the highest share of full/partial basements in new homes is New England (79.8%), followed by the West North Central division (77.2 %), the Middle Atlantic division (69.5%) and the East North Central division (54.3%).
New homes with slab foundations are most common in the West South Central (95.7%), South Atlantic (79.4%), Pacific (67.7%) and Mountain (48.1%) divisions. They are most popular in the West South Central division, where new single-family homes have been primarily constructed on slab foundations over the past 10 years.
A warmer climate makes building on slab more cost effective, compared to full/partial basements. Slab foundations also need the least amount of maintenance in the long run. In the East South Central division, 43% of new homes started in 2020 had a crawl space and 38% were built on slabs.
NAHB Senior Economist Na Zhao provides more analysis in this Eye on Housing post.
Latest from NAHBNow
Sponsored Content
Dec 23, 2025
The 5 Types of Builders — and the One Built to ProsperMost builders want the same things: predictable profits, less stress, and a business that doesn’t grind them down year after year.
Construction Costs | Material Costs
Dec 23, 2025
Lumber Capacity Has Peaked for 2025An annual revision to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report shows current sawmill production levels above 2017 by 7.5%, but just 0.3% above 2023 levels.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Dec 22, 2025
State-Level Employment Situation: September 2025In September 2025, nonfarm payroll employment was largely unchanged across states on a monthly basis, with a limited number of states seeing statistically significant increases or decreases. This reflects generally stable job counts across states despite broader labor market fluctuations. The data were impacted by collection delays due to the federal government shutdown.
Economics
Dec 19, 2025
Existing Home Sales Edge Higher in NovemberExisting home sales rose for the third consecutive month in November as lower mortgage rates continued to boost home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, the increase remained modest as mortgage rates still stayed above 6% while down from recent highs. The weakening job market also weighed on buyer activity.
Economics
Dec 18, 2025
Lumber Capacity Lower Midway Through 2025Sawmill production has remained essentially flat over the past two years, according to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report. This most recent data release contained an annual revision, which resulted in higher estimates for both production and capacity in U.S. sawmills.