American Homes: 5 House Types and Why Wood?

America has 132.5 million homes, and 62% of them are detached houses. While most city dwellers in Turkey live in apartments, the majority of Americans live in a single-family home with a yard. Almost all of these homes are built with a timber frame rather than concrete.

In this guide we explain the main American house types, why homes are built from wood, typical sizes and prices by type, using data from official US statistics agencies.

Types of Homes in America

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) counts the nation's homes by type every few years. The latest results cover 2024 and were published in 2026.

Single-Family Home

This is the classic American house: a standalone home for one family, open on all four sides and usually with front and back yards. Most are in the suburbs, the planned neighbourhoods outside city centres. The owner owns both the house and the land it stands on.

Townhouse

Townhouses are two- or three-storey homes built in a row and sharing side walls. Each has its own entrance and usually a small yard. They are cheaper than detached houses and more common closer to city centres. In managed communities, owners pay a monthly fee for the upkeep of shared areas.

Apartment vs Condo

In the US, "apartment" usually means a rental unit: the whole building belongs to one company and the units are rented out. A "condo" (condominium) is a unit sold individually. The buyer owns their own unit and shares common areas such as the pool, lobby and lifts with the other owners, paying a monthly homeowners association (HOA) fee for maintenance and security.

So buying a flat in America means buying a condo. Most units in the new residential towers of Miami and New York are sold as condos.

Mobile Home

Mobile homes are factory-built and moved to the site. 6.6 million American households still live in one. They are common in rural areas because they are cheap, but they usually lose value over time and are not seen as an investment.

Why Are American Homes Built From Wood?

Even when an American house looks like brick or stone, its frame is almost always timber. According to the US Census Bureau, 94% of new single-family homes completed in 2025 had a wood frame and only 5% were built with concrete.

There are several reasons for this:

• Plentiful, cheap lumber: the vast forests of the US and Canada keep timber easy to source and affordable.
• Fast construction: a timber-frame house goes up far faster than a concrete one, a big advantage where labour is expensive.
• Earthquake performance: a light, flexible timber frame performs well in earthquakes when built correctly. Even in California most homes are wood.
• Easy insulation and renovation: hollow walls make it simple to install and change insulation, wiring and plumbing.

There are regional differences. In the Northeast, Midwest and West, 98 – 99% of new homes are wood, but in the South, which includes Florida, concrete rises to 9%. Hurricanes are the main reason: in coastal Florida, concrete and concrete-block homes are considered more resistant to wind and water. Miami's residential towers are built entirely from reinforced concrete.

Exterior Wall Materials

Even with a timber frame, the outside of the house is clad in different materials. For new single-family homes completed in 2025, the breakdown was:

So a house that looks like brick on the outside usually has a timber frame inside. The brick is cladding, not structure.

How Big Are American Homes?

American homes are large by international standards. According to the Census Bureau, the median new single-family home completed in 2025 was 2,142 square feet, or about 199 m². New flats built for sale (condos) had a median of about 1,170 sq ft (109 m²), and rental units about 1,000 sq ft (93 m²).

48% of new single-family homes are single-storey and 46% have two storeys. Single-storey homes are more common in the South and Midwest, while two-storey homes dominate the Northeast, where land is expensive. A typical new American house has 3 – 4 bedrooms, 2 – 3 bathrooms, an open-plan kitchen and a two-car garage.

American Home Prices by Type

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), median prices for existing homes sold in September 2026 were:

Prices vary widely by state. Detached homes exceed $800,000 in Hawaii and California, while in many Midwestern states you can still find homes under $300,000. We have compiled current figures state by state on our US home prices page.

Which Home Type Suits a Foreign Buyer?

Foreigners can generally buy property in the US, although some states, such as Florida, restrict buyers from certain countries. Which type makes sense depends on how the home will be used.

For a family relocating to America, a detached suburban house with a yard can be a good fit. But all maintenance, from the roof and garden to the pool and repairs, falls on the owner, which is a burden for someone living abroad.

Buyers investing or spending part of the year in the US usually choose a condo. Maintenance and security are handled by the building, nobody needs to look after the unit while it is empty, and it is easier to rent out. Miami stands out in this respect. You can browse current projects on our Miami flats for sale page.

Before buying a condo, always check the monthly HOA fee, the rental rules and the association's finances. Some buildings ban short-term rentals or limit how often a unit can be rented each year.