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Highlights:

The average size of new apartments in the U.S. in 2018 is 941 square feet, 5 percent smaller than ten years ago, with studio apartments shrinking the most, by more than 10 percent; meanwhile, overall rents have increased by 28% over the same period of time.

The average size of apartments regardless of year built is 882 square feet, with the largest apartments in the Southeast boasting 975 square feet of living space and the smallest in California, measuring 837 square feet.

Seattle has the tiniest apartments in the country, with an average size of 711 square feet, Manhattan and Chicago the second smallest rentals, 733 square feet, while Tallahassee, FL offers the most spacious rentals in the U.S., 1,038 square feet on average.

As rental apartments have been growing in both popularity and price over the past decade, their floor plans have been slowly shrinking in size. The average size of a new apartment completed in 2018 in the U.S. is 941 square feet, 52 sqft less than the size of an apartment built ten years ago, according to our newest analysis of apartment sizes using Yardi Matrix data.

Changes in renters’ living habits are literally redrawing floor plans. The largest share of apartment dwellers, millennials prefer living in locations close to restaurants and entertainment rather than having a large kitchen or living room to cook or entertain at home. But the rising interest in smaller living spaces is equally motivated by price, as the need to save on rent sparks demand for smaller units. Unfortunately, renters are paying much more for less. The average rent in newly-built apartments in the U.S. has increased by 28% compared to 10 years ago, while their size has gotten 5% smaller.

Floor plans of all unit types are shrinking

Studio apartments — the symbol of downtown living — have been cut down the most. The average studio apartment is 10% smaller than 10 years ago, reduced from 573 sqft in 2008 to 514 sqft this year. Contrary to the growing interest in smaller units, studio apartments continue to represent a small piece of the rental market, only 5% nationally of all apartments. One-bedroom rental units make up the largest chunk of the national apartment stock (43%) and their floor plans have decreased by 4% over the last decade, while two-bedroom apartments have seen the least change in size, down by only 0.5% on average.

Overall, the average rental apartment size in the U.S. is 882 square feet, regardless of the year of completion. The average U.S. studio apartment has a square footage of 472 sqft, the size of a one-bedroom apartment is 714 sqft, while a two-bedroom apartment has an average living space of 1,006 sqft.

APARTMENT SIZE BY REGION

The largest apartments are in the SE, the smallest in CA

Rental apartments look very different from one region to another in terms of how spacious they are. The largest rental units in the U.S. are located in the Southeastern region, with a typical floor plan measuring 975 sqft, followed by apartments in the South, which are 943 sqft in size. The smallest apartments are, surprisingly, not in the Northeast (if you’re automatically thinking New York), but rather in California. Renters in the Golden State make do with 837 sqft, on average, about 138 sqft less space than what renters in the Southeast are used to. Apartments in the Western region are the second smallest, measuring 893 sqft, on average.

In terms of 10-year changes, apartments in California saw the biggest downsizing, 12%. The average Californian apartment is now 116 sqft smaller than 10 years ago, from 974 sqft to 858 sqft. New apartments in the Pacific Northwestern region offer the least elbow room, just 805 sqft, having gotten 10% smaller since 10 years ago. The Southeastern region continues to splurge in size, with the average new apartment sized at 1,007 sqft in 2018, more than 200 sqft larger than Washington and Oregon state rentals. The only region where apartments are constant in size is the Midwest, where the 10-year change is a 1% increase in the average apartment size.

APARTMENT SIZE BY CITY

Tallahassee and Seattle apartments are at opposite ends of the charts

We ranked the top 100 cities with the largest rental stock in the country by the average size of their rental apartments. Given that the Southeast has the largest apartments, it’s not surprising that the top cities with the biggest rentals are in that area. Tallahassee, FL offers its renters the most generous apartment size in the country, with an average square footage of 1,038 sqft across all apartments regardless of the year built. Moreover, the average floorplan of a new apartment built in the state capital in 2018 is a lavish 1,200 sqft, unchanged from ten years ago.

Atlanta and three of its suburbs take 4 of the top 10 spots for cities with the largest rental apartments in the nation. The second most spacious apartments in the U.S. are in Marrieta, GA, boasting an average size of 1,025 sqft. Decatur, GA is fourth with 1,000 sqft, Norcross, GA is sixth, with an average apartment size of 991 sqft. Apartments in Columbia, SC are the third largest in the U.S., with an average living space of 1,006 sqft. Large-size apartments tend to be more common in lower cost, sprawled cities or suburban areas than in high-cost dense urban areas.

It’s rare that New York is not first in something real estate related. With an average size of 711 sqft, Seattle apartments offer 20 sqft less than an average Manhattan rental, 171 sqft less space than the national average apartment of 882 sqft, and a whole 327 less square feet than apartments in Tallahassee. Manhattan and Chicago are tied in second place, with apartments measuring 733 sqft on average, 149 sqft below the national average. Rental apartments in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA wrap up the top 5 of the nation’s tiniest apartments. Other firm believers in “less is more” are Los Angeles, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Cleveland, with apartments below 800 sq feet in size.

See the full list of apartment sizes by unit type in 100 U.S. cities.

Apartments in Detroit saw the biggest reduction in size since 2008

Apartments in Detroit have suffered the biggest cuts in size in the last ten years. The average size of a new apartment in Motor City in 2018 is 27% smaller than ten years ago, 720 sqft today compared to 988 sqft a decade ago. New apartments built in Phoenix this year are on average 871 sqft, 19% smaller than they were in 2008. Los Angeles apartments, Boston apartments, and Irvine, CA apartments are also in the top 5 in terms of size reduction.

Rental apartments in Lubbock, TX, on the other hand, have seen a sizeable increase in space over the last decade, up 19%. Apartments built in Lubbock in 2018 average as much as 1,326 sq ft in size. New rentals in Lewisville, TX are only 891 sqft, an increase of 17% over 2008. Although rentals in San Francisco and Manhattan are among the smallest in the nation, they have been increasing in size in recent years, up by 13% and 12%, respectively, compared to 10 years prior. The newest apartments in San Francisco opened this year have an average size of 840 sqft. Newly-completed Manhattan apartments are on average 802 sq ft in size. Baltimore and Miami apartments have each gained 9% in size on average. New apartments in Baltimore measure 871 sq ft on average, this year, while those in Miami 834 sqft.

Ten-year changes in apartment rents and sizes

A few cities have seen dramatic changes in rents and size in opposite directions over the past decade. As Denver became one of the hottest rental markets in the country, apartment rents jumped 84% in the last 10 years, while the average size of apartments decreased by 11%. Nearby Colorado Springs saw a similar path, with rents up 66% and rental sizes down 6%. Another hot market, Seattle saw rent prices increase by 74% in 10 years, while the size of apartments increased by 4%. Renting in tech valley San Jose, CA today is 63% more expensive than a decade ago, while new apartments in the area are 4% smaller.

City* Size 2008 Size 2018 Change in Size Rent 2008 Rent 2018 Change in Rent Denver, CO 942 841 -11% $872 $1,601 84% Colorado Springs, CO 1,007 947 -6% $674 $1,119 66% Seattle, WA 683 711 4% $1,186 $2,064 74% San Jose, CA 881 844 -4% $1,666 $2,722 63% Tampa, FL 1,129 952 -16% $864 $1,302 51% Portland, OR 748 707 -5% $946 $1,510 60% Los Angeles, CA 888 729 -18% $1,649 $2,404 46% Austin, TX 955 878 -8% $869 $1,347 55% Orlando, FL 1,153 1,030 -11% $952 $1,388 46% Dallas, TX 1,033 952 -8% $795 $1,179 48% San Diego, CA 906 825 -9% $1,470 $2,160 47% Fort Worth, TX 982 925 -6% $712 $1,068 50% Phoenix, AZ 1,078 871 -19% $735 $998 36% Atlanta, GA 933 894 -4% $939 $1,399 49% San Francisco, CA 741 840 13% $2,181 $3,591 65% Raleigh, NC 1,010 923 -9% $807 $1,146 42% Tempe, AZ 935 941 1% $869 $1,303 50% Plano, TX 912 875 -4% $902 $1,277 42% Irving, TX 919 883 -4% $801 $1,122 40% Mesa, AZ 965 942 -2% $703 $969 38% Irvine, CA 971 817 -16% $1,905 $2,365 24% Jacksonville, FL 1,143 1,035 -9% $812 $1,047 29% Henderson, NV 1,152 1,007 -13% $990 $1,219 23% Arlington, VA 967 823 -15% $1,785 $2,147 20% Washington, DC 829 868 5% $1,545 $2,143 39% Lewisville, TX 764 891 17% $809 $1,141 41% Baltimore, MD 798 871 9% $940 $1,242 32% Las Vegas, NV 1,070 1,065 0% $866 $1,019 18% Houston, TX 966 947 -2% $992 $1,087 10% San Antonio, TX 961 914 -5% $1,080 $993 -8%

*Ten-year historical rent data not available in cities not listed.

Atlanta boasts the largest one-bedroom and two-bedroom floor plans in the U.S.

The largest studio apartments are in Irvine, CA, with an average floor plan of 586 sqft. Renters searching for a spacious one-bedroom rental will find the largest ones in Atlanta, GA, with 786 sqft of living space. Atlanta also offers the largest two-bedroom apartments, at 1,124 sqft, on average.

The tiniest studio apartments in the country are in Reno, NV, offering just 349 sqft of living space, on average, so tiny they could qualify as micro-apartments in other parts of the country. Then there are places where the size-standard of rental apartments is low by definition. Tucson, AZ is such a place. It has the smallest one-bedroom apartments in the U.S., measuring just 595 sqft, as well as the smallest two-bedroom apartments, which have an average size of 906 sqft.



Check the Average Apartment Size (sq. ft.) in 100 Largest U.S. Cities for Renters:

# City State ALL Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 1 Tallahassee FL 1,038 376 697 1,011 2 Marietta GA 1,025 551 780 1,119 3 Columbia SC 1,006 475 731 1,048 4 Decatur GA 1,000 551 772 1,077 5 Birmingham AL 992 463 784 1,072 6 Norcross GA 991 519 759 1,090 7 Gainesville FL 990 394 670 999 8 Atlanta GA 987 561 786 1,124 9 Virginia Beach VA 973 467 754 1,029 10 Henderson NV 970 537 742 1,052 11 Raleigh NC 962 506 758 1,063 12 Jacksonville FL 959 447 742 1,080 13 Knoxville TN 956 410 722 1,042 14 Baton Rouge LA 949 545 708 1,021 15 Orlando FL 949 500 721 1,048 16 Charlotte NC 948 560 746 1,051 17 Scottsdale AZ 946 452 764 1,067 18 Greenville SC 946 515 731 1,050 19 Huntsville AL 946 494 731 1,049 20 College Station TX 945 491 625 909 21 Lincoln NE 942 472 765 1,064 22 Plano TX 940 582 764 1,078 23 Greensboro NC 937 430 725 993 24 Durham NC 935 531 735 1,037 25 Louisville KY 929 498 741 1,004 26 Omaha NE 928 482 760 1,090 27 Mobile AL 926 425 709 1,010 28 Newport News VA 923 443 683 974 29 Chandler AZ 922 440 740 1,017 30 Winston-Salem NC 920 439 728 983 31 Tampa FL 920 441 711 1,051 32 Memphis TN 917 461 714 981 33 Irvine CA 912 586 732 1,027 34 Lexington KY 903 428 702 995 35 Nashville TN 902 495 702 1,047 36 Lubbock TX 902 393 670 969 37 Fresno CA 892 420 692 952 38 Columbus OH 887 388 670 998 39 Little Rock AR 884 479 685 1,006 40 Las Vegas NV 884 372 708 1,007 41 Rochester NY 883 469 721 994 42 Lewisville TX 879 510 720 1,021 43 Miami FL 879 453 715 1,016 44 Kansas City MO 879 474 726 1,012 45 San Jose CA 879 428 732 1,024 46 Indianapolis IN 878 450 689 982 47 Houston TX 877 497 726 1,035 48 Fort Wayne IN 876 444 664 984 49 New Orleans LA 871 480 707 1,004 50 Cincinnati OH 869 461 685 955 51 Richmond VA 868 479 688 938 52 Arlington VA 867 554 763 1,057 53 Alexandria VA 865 485 737 1,033 54 St. Petersburg FL 862 469 703 1,008 55 Fort Worth TX 859 511 697 1,019 56 Austin TX 859 460 701 1,032 57 Jersey City NJ 856 561 745 1,092 58 Milwaukee WI 852 508 689 1,025 59 Tempe AZ 849 475 687 948 60 Irving TX 848 505 712 1,016 61 San Diego CA 848 451 685 996 62 Oklahoma City OK 847 485 700 984 63 San Antonio TX 847 473 678 1,002 64 Corpus Christi TX 843 490 676 962 65 Anaheim CA 842 529 731 963 66 Salt Lake City UT 842 386 665 958 67 Madison WI 842 426 712 996 68 Reno NV 838 349 695 977 69 Dallas TX 837 519 702 1,033 70 St. Louis MO 833 462 685 941 71 Denver CO 832 490 707 1,001 72 Tacoma WA 830 555 670 947 73 St. Paul MN 825 468 719 987 74 Colorado Springs CO 822 446 661 950 75 Aurora CO 821 405 678 951 76 Sacramento CA 820 494 675 913 77 Tulsa OK 820 495 691 983 78 Arlington TX 818 468 672 968 79 Baltimore MD 818 466 705 925 80 Boston MA 817 526 722 1,037 81 El Paso TX 812 375 641 917 82 Pittsburgh PA 811 475 702 976 83 Toledo OH 811 389 637 907 84 Albuquerque NM 804 406 670 959 85 Portland OR 802 463 678 960 86 Mesa AZ 801 434 659 953 87 Philadelphia PA 801 437 716 980 88 Cleveland OH 796 446 690 954 89 Detroit MI 791 489 698 984 90 Wichita KS 787 423 661 965 91 Minneapolis MN 785 472 695 1,005 92 Phoenix AZ 783 425 658 939 93 Glendale AZ 781 400 647 933 94 Los Angeles CA 771 511 722 1,030 95 Tucson AZ 738 399 595 906 96 San Francisco CA 737 460 695 1,004 97 Washington DC 736 481 721 990 98 Manhattan NY 733 497 704 1,055 99 Chicago IL 733 468 719 1,055 100 Seattle WA 711 461 676 956

Methodology

This report was compiled by RentCafe.com, a nationwide apartment search website that enables renters to easily find apartments and houses for rent throughout the United States. The apartment size and rent data were provided by Yardi Matrix, a RENTCafé sister company specialized in apartment market intelligence, providing up-to-date information on large-scale multi-family properties of 50 units or more in over 130 U.S. markets.

Unit types are categorized by the number of bedrooms (zero, one, two) as defined by Yardi Matrix. The regions included in this report coincide with Yardi Matrix’s market boundaries and may be different from regional boundaries as defined by other sources.

Rankings are based on the top 100 U.S. cities with the largest stock of apartments (sometimes referred to as “largest cities for renters”) located in multi-family buildings of 50 units or more. To ensure a relevant sample size, we excluded cities where the number of units completed in one year was below 300 units. In the rare instances where no apartment data was available for 2018, the data for 2017 was used instead. Similarly, where no apartment data was available for 2008, data for 2009 was used instead. New York City data is available for the Manhattan borough only.

For custom reports on specific markets, please contact our research team at media@rentcafe.com.

This article is an updated version of a RENTCafe story published in 2016, which can be found here.

Fair use and redistribution We encourage you and freely grant you permission to reuse, host, or repost the images in this article. When doing so, we only ask that you kindly attribute the authors by linking to RENTCafe.com or this page, so that your readers can learn more about this project, the research behind it and its methodology.

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