Owning a home remains a quintessential part of the American Dream. The rate of homeownership in the U.S., after jumping early on in the pandemic, remained fairly stable over the past year and a half, at slightly over 65%, according to the Census Bureau. The homeownership rate was 65.8% in the second quarter of this year, not much higher than the 65.4% rate recorded in the first quarter.
But buying a home means more than just buying the structure itself. It means buying an entire lot — often with a backyard, a front garden, a drive, and so on. And while some lots have enough room to fit an olympic-size pool in the backyard, others can barely fit a small bistro set.
To identify how much property people own in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed The 2022 U.S. Lot Size Index published by Angi, an internet home services company. Angi estimated the average lot size in each state (in square feet) based on 312,456 single-family home sales from Zillow. Data on lot sizes and the price per square foot is as of May 2022. We added median household income and total population from the Census’ American Community Survey 2020 five-year estimates.
The Census Bureau estimates the average lot size for a newly built single-family home shrunk from 18,760 square feet in 1978 to a record low of 13,896 square feet in 2020, according to Angi. While lot sizes may have declined, houses grew in size. Over roughly the same time, the size of the average house grew from 1,755 square feet to 2,509 square feet in 2019, according to a 24/7 Wall St. analysis, the size of a home the year you were born.
Lot size varies by state depending on zoning laws and available acreage. Homebuyers in dense urban areas have to make do with smaller plots of land, especially if there are boundary laws aimed at preventing urban sprawl. States with many large cities may have smaller average lot sizes. Meanwhile, states and cities that impose zoning laws limiting minimum lot size to protect natural areas, have larger lots.
Nevada single-family homes are squeezed on the smallest lots at an average of 7,405 square feet. Yet that square footage goes for the third highest rate of $82.80 per square foot. Of course, this is based on more recent sales.
Homebuyers looking for a big house at an affordable price may want to go to Vermont, where lots average a whopping 78,408 square feet, and the price per square foot is $5.95 – the second lowest in the country. Besides Vermont, two other mostly rural New England states – New Hampshire and Maine – offer the largest lots for single-family homes.
Densely-populated California with nearly 40 million residents has a much tinier lot size of 8,327 square feet. Each square foot costs $85.60, the second highest in the U.S. (Looking to relocate? Consider the best cities to move to.)
The most expensive square footage is found in Hawaii at $110.86. Yet a home in paradise sits on a comfortable 12,000 square feet.
Click here to see how much land people live on in every state.
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50. Nevada
> Average lot size: 7,405 square feet
> Price per square foot: $82.80 – 3rd highest
> Median household income: $62,043 – 25th lowest
> Total population: 3,030,281
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49. California
> Average lot size: 8,327 square feet
> Price per square foot: $85.60 – 2nd highest
> Median household income: $78,672 – 6th highest
> Total population: 39,346,023
Source: EuToch / iStock via Getty Images
48. Arizona
> Average lot size: 8,726 square feet
> Price per square foot: $60.39 – 6th highest
> Median household income: $61,529 – 23rd lowest
> Total population: 7,174,064
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47. Illinois
> Average lot size: 9,025 square feet
> Price per square foot: $25.82 – 23rd highest
> Median household income: $68,428 – 17th highest
> Total population: 12,716,164
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46. Texas
> Average lot size: 9,540 square feet
> Price per square foot: $36.64 – 15th highest
> Median household income: $63,826 – 21st highest
> Total population: 28,635,442
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45. Colorado
> Average lot size: 10,019 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $60.84 – 5th highest
> Median household income: $75,231 – 11th highest
> Total population: 5,684,926
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44. Florida
> Average lot size: 10,019 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $55.20 – 8th highest
> Median household income: $57,703 – 14th lowest
> Total population: 21,216,924
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43. New Jersey
> Average lot size: 10,019 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $45.90 – 11th highest
> Median household income: $85,245 – 2nd highest
> Total population: 8,885,418
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42. North Dakota
> Average lot size: 10,019 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $29.27 – 20th highest
> Median household income: $65,315 – 19th highest
> Total population: 760,394
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41. Ohio
> Average lot size: 10,019 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $16.68 – 16th lowest
> Median household income: $58,116 – 15th lowest
> Total population: 11,675,275
40. Nebraska
> Average lot size: 10,226 square feet
> Price per square foot: $29.16 – 21st highest
> Median household income: $63,015 – 25th highest
> Total population: 1,923,826
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39. Oregon
> Average lot size: 10,454 square feet
> Price per square foot: $48.21 – 9th highest
> Median household income: $65,667 – 18th highest
> Total population: 4,176,346
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38. Washington
> Average lot size: 10,720 square feet
> Price per square foot: $55.57 – 7th highest
> Median household income: $77,006 – 9th highest
> Total population: 7,512,465
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37. Kansas
> Average lot size: 10,800 square feet
> Price per square foot: $18.37 – 18th lowest
> Median household income: $61,091 – 21st lowest
> Total population: 2,912,619
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36. Iowa
> Average lot size: 10,890 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $19.30 – 22nd lowest
> Median household income: $61,836 – 24th lowest
> Total population: 3,150,011
Source: Jacob Boomsma / iStock via Getty Images
35. South Dakota
> Average lot size: 10,890 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $29.58 – 19th highest
> Median household income: $59,896 – 20th lowest
> Total population: 879,336
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34. Utah
> Average lot size: 10,890 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $67.52 – 4th highest
> Median household income: $74,197 – 12th highest
> Total population: 3,151,239
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33. New York
> Average lot size: 11,067 square feet
> Price per square foot: $40.99 – 13th highest
> Median household income: $71,117 – 14th highest
> Total population: 19,514,849
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32. Indiana
> Average lot size: 11,326 square feet
> Price per square foot: $19.11 – 21st lowest
> Median household income: $58,235 – 16th lowest
> Total population: 6,696,893
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Source: Robert Kirk / iStock via Getty Images
31. Delaware
> Average lot size: 11,761 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $36.05 – 16th highest
> Median household income: $69,110 – 16th highest
> Total population: 967,679
Source: Markanja / iStock via Getty Images
30. Idaho
> Average lot size: 11,761 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $47.69 – 10th highest
> Median household income: $58,915 – 17th lowest
> Total population: 1,754,367
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29. Hawaii
> Average lot size: 12,000 square feet
> Price per square foot: $110.86 – the highest
> Median household income: $83,173 – 4th highest
> Total population: 1,420,074
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28. Rhode Island
> Average lot size: 12,196 square feet
> Price per square foot: $42.42 – 12th highest
> Median household income: $70,305 – 15th highest
> Total population: 1,057,798
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27. Louisiana
> Average lot size: 12,632 square feet
> Price per square foot: $16.83 – 17th lowest
> Median household income: $50,800 – 4th lowest
> Total population: 4,664,616
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26. Michigan
> Average lot size: 13,068 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $15.61 – 14th lowest
> Median household income: $59,234 – 18th lowest
> Total population: 9,973,907
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25. Minnesota
> Average lot size: 13,068 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $28.31 – 22nd highest
> Median household income: $73,382 – 13th highest
> Total population: 5,600,166
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24. Missouri
> Average lot size: 13,068 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $14.84 – 13th lowest
> Median household income: $57,290 – 13th lowest
> Total population: 6,124,160
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23. South Carolina
> Average lot size: 13,068 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $30.09 – 18th highest
> Median household income: $54,864 – 10th lowest
> Total population: 5,091,517
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22. New Mexico
> Average lot size: 13,346 square feet
> Price per square foot: $23.91 – 24th highest
> Median household income: $51,243 – 5th lowest
> Total population: 2,097,021
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21. Maryland
> Average lot size: 13,504 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $32.27 – 17th highest
> Median household income: $87,063 – the highest
> Total population: 6,037,624
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20. Pennsylvania
> Average lot size: 13,504 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $19.51 – 23rd lowest
> Median household income: $63,627 – 22nd highest
> Total population: 12,794,885
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19. Oklahoma
> Average lot size: 14,113 square feet
> Price per square foot: $12.90 – 10th lowest
> Median household income: $53,840 – 8th lowest
> Total population: 3,949,342
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18. Wisconsin
> Average lot size: 14,810 square feet
> Price per square foot: $19.67 – 25th lowest
> Median household income: $63,293 – 24th highest
> Total population: 5,806,975
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17. Wyoming
> Average lot size: 15,625 square feet
> Price per square foot: $21.52 – 25th highest
> Median household income: $65,304 – 20th highest
> Total population: 581,348
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16. West Virginia
> Average lot size: 17,569 square feet
> Price per square foot: $9.67 – 5th lowest
> Median household income: $48,037 – 2nd lowest
> Total population: 1,807,426
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15. Alabama
> Average lot size: 19,166 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $12.64 – 9th lowest
> Median household income: $52,035 – 6th lowest
> Total population: 4,893,186
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14. Massachusetts
> Average lot size: 19,166 square feet (tie)
> Price per square foot: $38.25 – 14th highest
> Median household income: $84,385 – 3rd highest
> Total population: 6,873,003
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13. Kentucky
> Average lot size: 19,529 square feet
> Price per square foot: $11.45 – 8th lowest
> Median household income: $52,238 – 7th lowest
> Total population: 4,461,952
12. North Carolina
> Average lot size: 20,038 square feet
> Price per square foot: $19.63 – 24th lowest
> Median household income: $56,642 – 12th lowest
> Total population: 10,386,227
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11. Virginia
> Average lot size: 21,344 square feet
> Price per square foot: $18.86 – 19th lowest
> Median household income: $76,398 – 10th highest
> Total population: 8,509,358
Source: Pgiam / iStock via Getty Images
10. Georgia
> Average lot size: 22,215 square feet
> Price per square foot: $15.72 – 15th lowest
> Median household income: $61,224 – 22nd lowest
> Total population: 10,516,579
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9. Tennessee
> Average lot size: 24,394 square feet
> Price per square foot: $14.35 – 11th lowest
> Median household income: $54,833 – 9th lowest
> Total population: 6,772,268
Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
8. Arkansas
> Average lot size: 24,829 square feet
> Price per square foot: $7.85 – 4th lowest
> Median household income: $49,475 – 3rd lowest
> Total population: 3,011,873
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
7. Connecticut
> Average lot size: 30,928 square feet
> Price per square foot: $18.94 – 20th lowest
> Median household income: $79,855 – 5th highest
> Total population: 3,570,549
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6. Mississippi
> Average lot size: 31,799 square feet
> Price per square foot: $5.71 – the lowest
> Median household income: $46,511 – the lowest
> Total population: 2,981,835
Source: miracky / iStock via Getty Images
5. Alaska
> Average lot size: 42,423 square feet
> Price per square foot: $10.02 – 6th lowest
> Median household income: $77,790 – 8th highest
> Total population: 736,990
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4. Montana
> Average lot size: 43,560 square feet
> Price per square foot: $14.59 – 12th lowest
> Median household income: $56,539 – 11th lowest
> Total population: 1,061,705
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3. Maine
> Average lot size: 45,738 square feet
> Price per square foot: $7.17 – 3rd lowest
> Median household income: $59,489 – 19th lowest
> Total population: 1,340,825
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2. New Hampshire
> Average lot size: 49,223 square feet
> Price per square foot: $10.70 – 7th lowest
> Median household income: $77,923 – 7th highest
> Total population: 1,355,244
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1. Vermont
> Average lot size: 78,408 square feet
> Price per square foot: $5.95 – 2nd lowest
> Median household income: $63,477 – 23rd highest
> Total population: 624,340
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