Vacant Bedrooms in U.S. Homes Reach Record High
The U.S. housing market is facing an unprecedented trend: while homes for sale are limited, the number of vacant bedrooms has hit a record high. According to a new report from Realtor.com, there were 31.9 million spare bedrooms in 2023, up from 31.3 million in 2022. In comparison, there were just 7 million extra bedrooms in 1980.
This increase is due to two key factors: shrinking household sizes and larger homes. The average household size has dropped from 3.1 people in 1970 to a record low of 2.5 in 2023. At the same time, the average number of bedrooms per home has risen from 2.5 in 1970 to 2.8 in 2023, although this number has remained steady over the past decade.
“We’re seeing more guest rooms because homes are bigger, and families are smaller,” said Ralph McLaughlin, senior economist at Realtor.com. “Extra rooms are especially popular in more affordable areas where buying a home with an extra bedroom is feasible.”
The trend is most pronounced in the Mountain West and Southern states, where land is plentiful and homes are built with larger floor plans. In urban areas, by contrast, high real estate costs and space constraints result in fewer spare bedrooms.
Regional Trends
The top 10 cities with the highest share of surplus bedrooms:
- Ogden, Utah (12.2%)
- Colorado Springs, Colo. (12.1%)
- Salt Lake City, Utah (12%)
- Memphis, Tenn. (11.8%)
- Atlanta, Ga. (11.6%)
- Cleveland, Ohio (11.3%)
- Wichita, Kan. (11.3%)
- Columbia, S.C. (10.8%)
- Charleston, S.C. (10.7%)
- Jackson, Miss. (10.7%)
The cities with the lowest share of surplus bedrooms:
- Miami, Fla. (5.9%)
- Sarasota, Fla. (6.4%)
- New York, N.Y. (6.5%)
- Los Angeles, Calif. (6.6%)
- New Haven, Conn. (6.7%)
- Worcester, Mass. (6.9%)
- Stockton, Calif. (6.9%)
- Bakersfield, Calif. (7%)
- Honolulu, Hawaii (7%)
- Providence, R.I. (7.1%)
Looking Ahead
This growing surplus of bedrooms raises questions about how much space is truly needed. “If people genuinely value extra space, then the market hasn’t overbuilt. But if buyers are settling for oversized homes because that’s what’s available, we may have overbuilt in recent decades,” McLaughlin noted.
As the demand for smaller, more energy-efficient homes grows, developers may need to rethink home design and adjust to shifting household dynamics.
