Apartments are getting bigger again

If apartment sizes were celebrities, renters are increasingly forgoing Kevin Hart in favor of John Cena.

The average US apartment size in 2023 increased by 27 square feet from the previous year, reaching 916 square feet, ​​according to a recent report from RentCafe. This marks a sharp contrast from 2022, when apartment sizes shrank to the smallest on average since at least 2014.

Renters are demanding more space, analysts say. The current state of the housing market is resulting in many renters who are postponing buying, but still want more room for activities.

And as anyone with a golden retriever who’s been forced to take a Zoom call at the same time as their boyfriend can back up, working from home isn’t ideal when confined to crowded spaces. The share of two- and three-bedroom rentals that hit the market last year was higher than both the year before and the 10-year historical average.

Yes, but… This most recent square footage uptick could be a short-lived trend. One-bedroom apartments are continuing to dominate construction, comprising the largest share of new apartments (48.3%). This is also one of the main factors that has pushed down the average size of apartments in the last 10 years – a trend that persists despite the recent uptick, per RentCafe.