Looking for a sizable home? Try buying in Utah.
The size of the average home for sale in the Beehive State is 2,440 square feet, the second-biggest in the United States and 20.55% larger than what’s being offered nationwide, according to a recent analysis by the online lender NetCredit.
Only homes on the market in Wyoming were typically larger, at 2,627 square feet. Other states in the Top 10 of the country’s largest average home listing by square feet were Nebraska, North Dakota, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Arkansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
The state with the smallest average listings? Pennsylvania, at 1,576 square feet.
The rankings are based on more than 250,000 real estate listings on Zillow in larger cities around the country for single-family homes, townhouses, condos and apartments with at least one bedroom and one bathroom priced between $50,000 and $5 million.
Similar studies in the past put Utah at the top of the list of the largest average home size for sale, a phenomenon credited to a number of factors including the state’s larger families and strong economy.
The size and price per square foot of homes sold in Utah
In Utah, the average square footage in the five cities analyzed were:
- Provo, 2,485
- Salt Lake City, 2,059
- St. George, 2,596
- West Jordan, 2,549
- West Valley City, 2,095
Also calculated was the average price per square foot for housing. Utah ranked 13th highest among the states, at $307 per square foot, while Hawaii topped that list at $850, with Massachusetts, New York, California and Washington rounding out the Top 5.
In the Utah cities analyzed, the average price per square foot was:
- Provo, $306
- Salt Lake City, $387
- St. George, $306
- West Jordan, $253
- West Valley City, $247
Compare that to the least expensive average price per square foot of any major U.S. city, just $88.58 in Jackson, Mississippi. The most expensive real estate is in California’s Silicon Valley, the study found, where the average price per square foot was nearly $1,046 in Sunnyvale.
Housing affordability remains a challenge, especially in Utah, which has the nation’s youngest population. The size of starter homes in the U.S. have been getting smaller, dropping to 2,150 square feet in 2024, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University found last year.
The decline in the size of homes aimed at first-time buyers comes amid townhouses being built in the U.S., typically smaller than detached, single family homes. In Utah, state leaders are looking to “starter condos” to meet Gov. Spencer Cox’s goal of building 35,000 starter homes by 2028.
How important is cost per square foot when buying a home?
In a May post about the analysis on NetCredit.com, homebuyers were advised that comparing the cost per square foot of a home to nearby properties “can be a helpful indicator of how realistically your chosen property is priced.”
But buyers were told to also take into account other factors when choosing a home, such as the amount of work needed on a fixer-upper, utility costs, commuting expenses, local schools and other amenities, as well as the area’s cost of living.
Finally, the site warns, “If a property seems to offer a ludicrous amount of space for the money, there may be hidden factors dragging down its price. Have the building thoroughly surveyed for potential faults.”