Share of Homes Built on Slabs Surges
The majority of new single-family homes started in 2023 were built on slab foundations, according to NAHB analysis of the Survey of Construction (SOC). The share of new homes built on slabs has risen steadily from 45.8% in 2000 to 72.4% in 2023. The largest increase occurred from 2022 to 2023, with a jump of 3.9 percentage points, compared to an average increase of 1.93 percentage points over the previous five years.
Conversely, the share of homes with full or partial basements decreased by 3 percentage points from 19.6% in 2022 to 16.6% 2023. Only 9.9% of new single-family homes were built with crawl spaces.
In colder areas where building codes require foundations to be built below the frost line, most homes are constructed with full or partial basements. In the northern divisions, full or partial basement foundations provide additional finished floor areas at a marginal increase of construction cost. The divisions with a majority share of full or partial basements in new homes are West North Central (63.9%), followed by New England (62.1%), Middle Atlantic (48.1%) and East North Central (48%).
In warmer climates where slab foundations are preferred for their cost-effectiveness, new homes with slab foundations are most commonly found in the West South Central (96.9%), Pacific (86.5%), South Atlantic (83.3%) and Mountain (52.9%) divisions.
NAHB Economist Catherine Koh provides more, including interactive graphics, in this Eye on Housing post.
Latest from NAHBNow
Water | Environmental Issues
Apr 23, 2026
EPA’s Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0 Focuses on Forward-Thinking Conservation SolutionsOn April 16, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the second version of the National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP). The updated version builds on the original’s core mission to advance water reuse across the United States, with a focus on collaborative implementation, water security, sustainability and resilience.
Sustainability and Green Building
Apr 22, 2026
NAHB and ICC Release 2025 Edition of the National Green Building Standard®NAHB and the International Code Council (ICC) proudly announce the release of the ICC 700-2025 National Green Building Standard® (NGBS)—the fifth edition of the nation’s premier residential green building standard. Approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the 2025 NGBS continues to define the benchmark for sustainable residential construction, renovation and land development across the United States.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Apr 22, 2026
State-Level Employment Situation: February 2026February’s labor market data point to a notable pullback in employment, with job losses concentrated across a majority of states and only modest gains elsewhere. While January showed solid momentum, February’s decline reflects emerging softness in hiring conditions, alongside uneven performance across the country.
Economics
Apr 21, 2026
Population Growth and Housing Supply Dynamics at the County Level in 2025U.S. population growth slowed notably in the latest Vintage 2025 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, with the nation expanding by just 0.5% in 2025, roughly half the pace of the prior year. The deceleration was primarily driven by a sharp decline in net international migration (NIM), which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million, while natural change remained relatively stable.
Economics
Apr 20, 2026
Construction Workforce Shifts: Fewer Tradesmen, More White-Collar JobsThe long-running shift in the construction labor force away from construction trades and toward management, business, and technical roles is ongoing and gaining momentum, according to NAHB’s analysis of the latest 2024 data from the American Community Survey (ACS).