The history of the U.S. housing market has been marked by periods of rampant building and of lulls, even as the population has expanded relatively steadily. …but also in the size of the homes built. …In 1920, 100 years ago, the average floor area of a new single-family home was 1,048 square feet. The average floor area per person was 242 square feet There were 247,000 new homes started. …By contrast, in 2017, the average floor area of a new single-family home was 2,631 square feet. The average floor area per person was 1,036 square feet. New homes started, on an inflation-adjusted basis, was $55,790. Click here to see the size of a home the year you were born.