According to NAHB, the share of new homes with decks fell from 17.6% in 2023 to a new all-time low of 17.4% in 2024, based on data from the HUD/Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC).
Over the long term, the proportion of new residences with decks has slowly declined since a peak of 27.0% in 2007 and 2008.
Despite this drop, the share of new residences with patios has been increasing, from less than 50% to more than 60%.
From the SOC’s re-design in 2005 to 2024, the correlation between the percentages of new residences with patios and decks is -0.85, indicating that patios and decks are serving as replacements over time—that is, as patios grow more popular, they are crowding out decks.
Decks and patios appear to be replacements throughout the United States.
Decks were more frequent in single-family homes built beginning in 2024, whilst patios were uncommon. For example, only 14% of residences in the New England Census Division had patios, whereas 69% had decks.
In contrast, 82% of new homes in the West South Central contained patios, while only 3% included decks.
Across all nine divisions, the correlation between the percentages of new residences with decks and patios was negative 0.77.
Even so, decks are still popular on new homes in several regions of the country. In addition to New England, decks were installed on more than 30% of new homes in the West North Central (46%), Middle Atlantic (34%), and East South Central (31%).
Furthermore, the most current edition of What Home purchasers Really Want found that 79% of recent and potential home purchasers considered a deck to be an essential or desirable feature.
The Annual Builder Practices Survey (BPS), conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs, provides more information about the characteristics of new-home decks.
Nationally, according to the 2025 BPS report (based on homes built in 2024), the average size of a deck on a new single-family home is 278 square feet.
The average varies by Census Division, from 163 square feet in the West South Central to 422 square feet in the Mountain Division.
Aside from size, there are still significant geographical disparities in deck material selection among builders. Treated wood is the most preferred choice per square foot in the New England, South Atlantic, East South Central, and Mountain divisions.
Composite material is widely used in the Middle Atlantic, East North Central, and West North Central regions.
In the Pacific Division, builders utilize concrete more than any other material, whereas in the West South Central, treated wood and concrete are approximately equal.
Of course, decks can—and frequently are—added after the house is built.
Decks scored eighth out of 22 stated remodeling projects in the fourth-quarter 2024 NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index survey, with 23% of professional remodelers responding.
[Read more about this topic on Eyeonhousing.org]