Real Estate
The Median Lot Size in Every U.S. State in 2022
The Median Lot Size in Every U.S. State in 2022
The “American Dream” is often associated with imagery of spacious estates adorned with white picket fences, wrap-around porches, and sprawling green lawns that seem to go on forever.
But in reality, modern American life has become much more compact. Over the last few decades, the typical lot size in the U.S. has decreased significantly—from 18,760 square feet in 1978 to 13,896 in 2020.
While lot sizes are getting smaller overall, there are still large discrepancies in lot sizes from state to state. This graphic by Angi uses data from the 2022 U.S. Lot Size Index to show the median lot size in every U.S. State, using data from 312,456 Zillow listings as of May 2022.
Largest and Smallest Median Lot Sizes by State
When it comes to the states with the largest plots of land, New England dominates the ranking, with Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine at the top of the list.
Rank | State | Median lot size (sq.ft.) |
---|---|---|
1 | Vermont | 78,408 |
2 | New Hampshire | 49,223 |
3 | Maine | 45,738 |
4 | Montana | 43,560 |
5 | Alaska | 42,423 |
6 | Mississippi | 31,799 |
7 | Connecticut | 30,928 |
8 | Arkansas | 24,829 |
9 | Tennessee | 24,394 |
10 | Georgia | 22,215 |
New England was one of the first regions settled by the Europeans in Colonial America. This long history, along with a large rural population, could explain why the area has strict zoning policies that limit density and require large minimum lot sizes for new builds.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Nevada ranks as the state with the smallest median lot size:
Rank | State | Median lot size (sq.ft.) |
---|---|---|
1 | Nevada | 7,405 |
2 | California | 8,327 |
3 | Arizona | 8,726 |
4 | Illinois | 9,025 |
5 | Texas | 9,540 |
6 | Colorado | 10,019 |
7 | Florida | 10,019 |
8 | North Dakota | 10,019 |
9 | New Jersey | 10,019 |
10 | Ohio | 10,019 |
One possible explanation is that Nevada’s population boom—and subsequent development—is relatively recent. Newer homes listed in the dataset tend to have smaller lot sizes, and in Nevada, 34.6% of homes included in the research were built in 2000 or later.
Comparing Lot Size to Land Price
Generally speaking, the states with the biggest lots also tend to have the cheapest land when broken down per square foot. For instance, in Vermont, properties sold for a median $5.95 per square foot.
View the full-size infographic
On the flip side, in Nevada, land sold for a median $82.80 per square foot—that’s the third most expensive of any state.
Of course, other factors are at play here when it comes to the cost of land. Like anything else that’s for sale, the price of a lot is governed largely by the laws of supply and demand.
For example, housing supply is scarce in Hawaii, where only 4.9% of the land is zoned for residential development, and the median home size is much smaller than in other parts of the country. Not surprisingly, the median plot of land in Hawaii costs $110.86 per square foot, the most expensive on the list.
The Future of Housing in America
Lot sizes remain relatively large in some states for now, but as the U.S. population continues to become more urbanized, living conditions in America could get even tighter.
Will America hold onto its spacious way of living, or could life in the U.S. start to resemble more densely populated regions in the future?

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Markets
These Global Cities Show the Highest Real Estate Bubble Risk
A global look at which cities have the most overheated real estate markets. Toronto shows the highest bubble risk in 2022.

These Global Cities Show the Highest Real Estate Bubble Risk
Housing bubbles are a tricky phenomenon. As a market gathers steam and prices increase, it remains a matter of debate whether that market is overvalued and flooded with speculation, or it’s simply experiencing robust demand.
Of course, once a bubble bursts, it’s all obvious in hindsight.
One common red flag is when prices decouple from local incomes and rents. As well, imbalances in the real economy, such as excessive construction activity and lending can signal a bubble in the making.
The map above, based on data from the Real Estate Bubble Index by UBS, examines 25 global cities, scoring them based on their bubble risk.
Overinflated Markets
In the 2022 edition of the Real Estate Bubble Index, nine of the cities covered were classified as having extreme bubble risk (1.5 or higher score).
Rank | Risk Category | City | Bubble Index Score |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 🔴 | 🇨🇦 Toronto | 2.24 |
#2 | 🔴 | 🇩🇪 Frankfurt | 2.21 |
#3 | 🔴 | 🇨🇭 Zurich | 1.81 |
#4 | 🔴 | 🇩🇪 Munich | 1.80 |
#5 | 🔴 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 1.71 |
#6 | 🔴 | 🇨🇦 Vancouver | 1.70 |
#7 | 🔴 | 🇳🇱 Amsterdam | 1.62 |
#8 | 🔴 | 🇮🇱 Tel Aviv | 1.59 |
#9 | 🔴 | 🇯🇵 Tokyo | 1.56 |
#10 | 🟠 | 🇺🇸 Miami | 1.39 |
#11 | 🟠 | 🇺🇸 Los Angeles | 1.31 |
#12 | 🟠 | 🇸🇪 Stockholm | 1.22 |
#13 | 🟠 | 🇫🇷 Paris | 1.21 |
#14 | 🟠 | 🇦🇺 Sydney | 1.19 |
#15 | 🟠 | 🇨🇭 Geneva | 1.14 |
#16 | 🟠 | 🇬🇧 London | 1.08 |
#17 | 🟠 | 🇺🇸 San Francisco | 0.78 |
#18 | 🟠 | 🇺🇸 Boston | 0.75 |
#19 | 🟠 | 🇪🇸 Madrid | 0.59 |
#20 | 🟠 | 🇺🇸 New York | 0.57 |
#21 | 🟠 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 0.50 |
#22 | 🟢 | 🇮🇹 Milan | 0.34 |
#23 | 🟢 | 🇧🇷 Sao Paulo | 0.20 |
#24 | 🟢 | 🇦🇪 Dubai | 0.16 |
#25 | 🟢 | 🇵🇱 Warsaw | 0.15 |
Canada’s largest city finds itself at the top of a ranking no city wants to end up on. Toronto’s home prices have been rising steadily for years now, and many, including UBS, believe that the city is now firmly in bubble territory.
Vancouver also finds itself in a similar position. Both Canadian cities have a high quality of life and have thriving tech industries.
Notably, none of the U.S. cities analyzed find themselves in the most extreme bubble risk category. The closest scoring U.S. city was Miami, which sits firmly in overvalued territory (0.5-1.5 range) with a score of 1.39.
Examining the Trends
In recent years, low interest rates helped push home prices and incomes further apart.
For cities in the bubble risk zone, prices have climbed by an average of 60% in inflation-adjusted terms over the past decade, while rents and real incomes increased by just 12%. And, while COVID-19 briefly put a dent in urban demand, rents in the cities analyzed rose at around the same pace as pre-pandemic times.
As a result, all but three of the cities saw positive price growth over the past year from a nominal price perspective:
U.S. cities occupy a number of spots at the top of this chart. Miami, in particular, is seeing strong internal migration patterns, as well as renewed interest from foreign investors.
Hong Kong experienced the biggest one-year nominal drop of all the cities analyzed. The report notes that since around 2019 Hong Kong “has broadly stagnated as the lack of affordability, economic woes, and pandemic restrictions all took a major toll on demand.”
Prices can’t rise forever. According to UBS, most cities with high valuations, price corrections have already begun, or could be right around the corner.
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