
Natalia Bratslavsky // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Alabama
- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 3.5%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 78,866

Prospective homeowners have a lot to consider when looking to buy a home. Even after you've narrowed down their preferred neighborhood, you must carefully consider what type of home you prefer. Apartment, townhouse, or single-family? Ranch-style, two-story, or split-level? Garage or carport? There are dozens of factors to consider—including whether you're looking for new construction or an existing home.
While some buyers prefer the character and charm of older homes, new construction has plenty of advantages. Older homes typically come with higher up-front maintenance costs, while new construction should have brand-new systems and features that won't need to be replaced for years. New homes also tend to be more energy-efficient, which can help you save on utility costs in the long run.
According to a 2021 survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders, 60% of prospective buyers prefer newly built homes over existing homes—the highest share since 2007.
The increased demand for new construction can make securing a newly built home a challenge. Although the production of new homes ramped up after the COVID-19 pandemic, housing starts fell in December 2022 compared to the year before, as homes have grown more expensive and higher interest rates have priced buyers out.
Of course, every state's housing market is different. Portland Real Estate collected Census Bureau data to see which states have the highest share of newly built homes. The data is sourced from the 2020 five-year American Community Survey. States are ranked based on the percentage of the total housing units in the state that were built after 2014. The percentages displayed are rounded to the nearest 10th of a percent. According to the 2020 ACS five-year estimates, 4.8 million houses have been built since 2014, representing about 3.5% of total housing units.
Most of the states with the highest share of new homes are located in the Southern and Western regions of the United States. Keep reading to discover which states have the highest percentages of new homes built since 2014—and maybe get some inspiration for your next move.

Natalia Bratslavsky // Shutterstock
1 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 3.5%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 78,866

Kosoff // Shutterstock
2 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 3.6%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 126,263

Felix Mizioznikov // Shutterstock
3 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 3.6%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 50,845

Aspects and Angles // Shutterstock
4 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 3.6%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 30,647

Reinhardt and Co // Shutterstock
5 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 3.8%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 67,600

Trong Nguyen // Shutterstock
6 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 3.9%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 68,547

Allison J. Hahn // Shutterstock
7 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.0%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 82,137

shuttersv // Shutterstock
8 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.1%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 56,324

Jim Parkin // Shutterstock
9 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.1%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 21,178

Allison J. Hahn // Shutterstock
10 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.2%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 127,945

Trong Nguyen // Shutterstock
11 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.3%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 184,993

Blue Rhino Media // Shutterstock
12 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.4%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 422,291

Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock
13 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.7%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 59,001

James R. Martin // Shutterstock
14 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.7%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 141,500

RyanWilson10 // Shutterstock
15 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.7%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 18,750

Kirk Fisher // Shutterstock
16 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.8%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 152,051

Gus Valente // Shutterstock
17 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 4.8%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 226,750

Arina P Habich // Shutterstock
18 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 5.1%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 121,565

TJ Brown // Shutterstock
19 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 5.4%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 17,239

Khairil Azhar Junos // Shutterstock
20 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 5.4%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 23,761

Bilanol // Shutterstock
21 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 5.9%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 136,437

Kirk Fisher // Shutterstock
22 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 6.3%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 46,673

Jason Finn // Shutterstock
23 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 6.8%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 75,954

Trong Nguyen // Shutterstock
24 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 7.1%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 785,159

Real Window Creative // Shutterstock
25 / 25- Share of homes built in 2014 or later: 8.0%
- Total number of homes built in 2014 or later: 30,241