The American cities with the smallest apartments revealed – and Manhattan homes are nowhere near the most-cramped

Residents might feel like the walls in the troubled cities of Seattle and Portland are closing in on them — and a national survey of the sizes of new rental apartments suggests they might be right.

The two West Coast cities have the smallest new construction homes in the country, with an average of 685 square feet in Portland, and an even cozier 661 in Seattle.

That compares with a relatively spacious 70 m² in Manhattan, where the average supply has grown by a noticeable 16 m² over the past ten years.

But Florida has established itself as America’s space hub, with Gainesville and Tallahassee topping the list at 1,173 and 1,159 square feet, respectively.

“Larger living spaces are making a comeback,” says Alexandra Both rentcafe.com who conducted the research.

But a construction boom at the University of Florida’s Gainesville home has helped give the city the largest new construction rentals in the country

“The average size of new apartments in the US saw substantial growth in 2023, bouncing back to 916 square feet after a steep decline the year before.

‘This increase can be attributed to more spacious two- and three-bedroom apartments opening their doors last year, as developers sought to meet tenants’ needs for more space.’

The study looked at new apartment sizes in America’s 100 largest cities.

And it turns out New Yorkers aren’t the only big city residents who have more room to stretch their legs, as new units have also grown larger in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, measuring an impressive 97 square meters in the case of the Windy City.

But while sizes are generally getting bigger, you have to pay more to feel the benefit.

“In general, small rental properties are getting smaller and large apartments are gaining square footage,” both said.

‘To be precise, two- and three-bedroom apartments have increased in floor space over the past decade, while studios and one-bedroom apartments have become increasingly compact.

‘Studios took the biggest hit after shrinking by as much as 50 square meters over the past decade.’

New rental homes in Portland, Oregon, are barely larger than Seattle, at just 600 square feet

But Manhattan has defied expectations with a relatively spacious area of ​​70 m², an increase of 16 in ten years

While Manhattan apartments may gain space, New York’s other boroughs, Queens and Brooklyn, lag behind Seattle and Portland at only 600 and 700 square feet, respectively.

Detroit, Michigan is fifth of the bottom five, all of which have shrunk in the past decade.

Things could get even worse for renters in Seattle, as the survey shows that the size of apartments currently under construction averages a minuscule 400 square feet — only larger than those in San Jose, California, where it figure is 423.

“Small rental properties are becoming smaller and large apartments are gaining in square meters,” says Alexandra Both of rentcafe.com

Conversely, the Sun Belt dominates the list of cities where average apartment size is growing the fastest.

“Interestingly, the American cities that offered the most spacious apartments have built even larger apartments over the past decade,” Both said.

“Tucson, Arizona, has gained a remarkable 200 square feet of space – enough to accommodate two additional guest rooms.

“Other cities that similarly reflected this trend included Gainesville and Tallahassee, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Lubbock, Texas; and Knoxville, Tenn.

Knoxville is also expected to see the highest increase in home prices in the coming year, with a projected increase of 6.1 percent, a Zillow report showed last month.

But it’s not all sunshine and light in the South, with new rental properties in Birmingham, Alabama, losing an average of 120 square feet of room size, more than any other city on the list.

Across the US, the share of single-family homes built for rental has doubled in two years as companies look to those who are fed up with mortgage payments.

And the research reveals good news for those who can rent at the top end of the market.

“Three-bedroom apartments are steadily becoming more spacious and are still close to single-family homes in terms of floor space and rental costs,” they said.

“The size of a home for rent increased to more than 1,400 square feet in 2023 for an average rent of $2,096, while the norm for a three-bedroom unit was almost 1,350 square feet and $2,160 in monthly rent.

“This is why in some locations renters may find it more convenient to rent a house rather than a three-bedroom apartment.”