United States · Housing · Census and HUD new residential sales
Median home price by year.
The median and average sales price of new privately owned houses sold in the United States for every year from 1963 to 2025, from the Census Bureau and HUD Survey of Construction, with the 2026 months published so far and a calculator for the change between any two years.
Short answer: The median sales price of a new house was $417,400 in 2025, down from the 2022 peak of $434,500, and $400,400 in September 2026. It was $18,000 in 1963, $64,600 in 1980, $122,900 in 1990, $169,000 in 2000, $221,800 in 2010 and $330,900 in 2020. The 2025 average price was $523,800.
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Result
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Median and average sales price of new houses sold, by year
Dollars, not adjusted for inflation. The change column is the percentage change in the median from the previous year, computed here. The sales price includes the land.
| Year | Median sales price | Average sales price | Median change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | $18,000 | $19,300 | n/a |
| 1964 | $18,900 | $20,500 | +5.0% |
| 1965 | $20,000 | $21,500 | +5.8% |
| 1966 | $21,400 | $23,300 | +7.0% |
| 1967 | $22,700 | $24,600 | +6.1% |
| 1968 | $24,700 | $26,600 | +8.8% |
| 1969 | $25,600 | $27,900 | +3.6% |
| 1970 | $23,400 | $26,600 | -8.6% |
| 1971 | $25,200 | $28,300 | +7.7% |
| 1972 | $27,600 | $30,500 | +9.5% |
| 1973 | $32,500 | $35,500 | +17.8% |
| 1974 | $35,900 | $38,900 | +10.5% |
| 1975 | $39,300 | $42,600 | +9.5% |
| 1976 | $44,200 | $48,000 | +12.5% |
| 1977 | $48,800 | $54,200 | +10.4% |
| 1978 | $55,700 | $62,500 | +14.1% |
| 1979 | $62,900 | $71,800 | +12.9% |
| 1980 | $64,600 | $76,400 | +2.7% |
| 1981 | $68,900 | $83,000 | +6.7% |
| 1982 | $69,300 | $83,900 | +0.6% |
| 1983 | $75,300 | $89,800 | +8.7% |
| 1984 | $79,900 | $97,600 | +6.1% |
| 1985 | $84,300 | $100,800 | +5.5% |
| 1986 | $92,000 | $111,900 | +9.1% |
| 1987 | $104,500 | $127,200 | +13.6% |
| 1988 | $112,500 | $138,300 | +7.7% |
| 1989 | $120,000 | $148,800 | +6.7% |
| 1990 | $122,900 | $149,800 | +2.4% |
| 1991 | $120,000 | $147,200 | -2.4% |
| 1992 | $121,500 | $144,100 | +1.3% |
| 1993 | $126,500 | $147,700 | +4.1% |
| 1994 | $130,000 | $154,500 | +2.8% |
| 1995 | $133,900 | $158,700 | +3.0% |
| 1996 | $140,000 | $166,400 | +4.6% |
| 1997 | $146,000 | $176,200 | +4.3% |
| 1998 | $152,500 | $181,900 | +4.5% |
| 1999 | $161,000 | $195,600 | +5.6% |
| 2000 | $169,000 | $207,000 | +5.0% |
| 2001 | $175,200 | $213,200 | +3.7% |
| 2002 | $187,600 | $228,700 | +7.1% |
| 2003 | $195,000 | $246,300 | +3.9% |
| 2004 | $221,000 | $274,500 | +13.3% |
| 2005 | $240,900 | $297,000 | +9.0% |
| 2006 | $246,500 | $305,900 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | $247,900 | $313,600 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | $232,100 | $292,600 | -6.4% |
| 2009 | $216,700 | $270,900 | -6.6% |
| 2010 | $221,800 | $272,900 | +2.4% |
| 2011 | $227,200 | $267,900 | +2.4% |
| 2012 | $245,200 | $292,200 | +7.9% |
| 2013 | $268,900 | $324,500 | +9.7% |
| 2014 | $288,500 | $347,700 | +7.3% |
| 2015 | $294,200 | $352,700 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | $307,800 | $360,900 | +4.6% |
| 2017 | $323,100 | $384,900 | +5.0% |
| 2018 | $326,400 | $385,000 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | $321,500 | $383,900 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | $330,900 | $391,600 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $383,500 | $458,300 | +15.9% |
| 2022 | $434,500 | $521,500 | +13.3% |
| 2023 | $428,600 | $514,000 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | $420,300 | $514,500 | -1.9% |
| 2025 | $417,400 | $523,800 | -0.7% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Survey of Construction, annual sheet of the "Sales Price of New Privately-Owned Houses Sold" file, read on November 11, 2026.
2026 so far, month by month
| Month | Median | Average |
|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | $416,200 | $512,600 |
| February 2026 | $412,000 | $524,600 |
| March 2026 | $398,700 | $510,200 |
| April 2026 | $415,700 | $498,900 |
| May 2026 | $414,300 | $527,600 |
| June 2026 | $410,200 | $499,400 |
| July 2026 | $394,200 | $524,300 |
| August 2026 | $385,400 | $470,800 |
| September 2026 | $400,400 | $472,800 |
Monthly medians are based on a sample of sales contracts and are revised as later data arrive, so the 2026 annual figure will differ from a simple average of these months. The monthly sheet of the same Census file holds the full series back to January 1963.
What the series shows
The median new-house price rose in 54 of the 62 year-to-year steps since 1963. The exceptions cluster around recessions: 1970, 1991, 2008 and 2009, 2019, and the three years 2023 to 2025 after the 2022 peak of $434,500. The largest single-year jumps were 1973 (up 17.8% to $32,500) and 2021 (up 15.9% to $383,500), followed by 2022 (up 13.3% to $434,500), the pandemic-era run that also lifted the average above $500,000 for the first time. The 1970s were the other fast decade: the median went from $23,400 in 1970 to $62,900 in 1979, a 169% rise during the years of high inflation.
Milestones: the median crossed $50,000 in 1978, $100,000 in 1987, $200,000 in 2004, $300,000 in 2016 and $400,000 in 2022. The average crossed those lines earlier each time, and the gap between the two widened from $1,300 in 1963 to $106,400 in 2025, a sign of more expensive houses at the top of the new-home market. These are national figures: the Census file also publishes medians by region (Northeast, Midwest, South and West) and by type of financing, which this page does not reproduce.
Worked example
A buyer who wants to know how much new-house prices rose since 1990 enters 2025 as the year and 1990 as the comparison. The median was $122,900 in 1990 and $417,400 in 2025, so the increase is $294,500, or 239.6%: the 2025 median is 3.4 times the 1990 median. Spread over 35 years that is a compound growth rate of 3.56% a year. The average price rose from $149,800 to $523,800 over the same period, a 249.7% increase. The calculator returns all of these for any pair of years, and the inflation calculator linked above can restate the 1990 figure in 2025 dollars to see the real change.
Method
The Census Bureau's New Residential Sales program publishes one Excel file for the sales price of new privately owned houses sold, with an annual sheet (1963 to 2025) and a monthly sheet (January 1963 onward). Both sheets were read on November 11, 2026 and the annual medians and averages typed into this page; the monthly table shows the nine 2026 months published at that date. The year lookup returns the stored figures; the comparison computes the dollar and percentage change in the median and the average, the multiple, and the compound annual growth rate as (later median divided by earlier median) to the power of one over the number of years, minus one.
What this does not cover
- Existing-home prices, which are the larger share of sales and are not published by Census or HUD.
- Prices by state, metro area or region, and price per square foot.
- Inflation adjustment, mortgage rates and the monthly payment a price implies.
- The number of houses sold or for sale, which are separate tables in the same release.
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau: New Residential Sales, time series data (links to the price file) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- Census Bureau and HUD: Sales Price of New Privately-Owned Houses Sold, annual and monthly (Excel) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- Census Bureau: Survey of Construction methodology (retrieved November 11, 2026)
Common mix-ups
-
Often assumedThe Census median sales price covers all homes sold in the United States.
What the source saysThe Census and HUD file is titled Sales Price of New Privately-Owned Houses Sold and comes from the Survey of Construction; it covers new houses only, and existing-home sales are not in it. [1]
-
Often assumedThe Census sales price excludes the lot.
What the source saysThe note under the Census table says the sales price includes the land. [1]
-
Often assumedA monthly median price is a final figure.
What the source saysThe monthly sheet carries preliminary monthly values that are revised in later releases; the annual sheet gives the settled figure for a year, $417,400 for 2025. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the median home price in the United States right now?
The Census Bureau and HUD report a median sales price of $400,400 for new houses sold in September 2026, with an average of $472,800. The 2025 annual median was $417,400 and the average $523,800. Monthly figures are preliminary and get revised.
What was the median home price in 1990, 2000 and 2010?
$122,900 in 1990, $169,000 in 2000 and $221,800 in 2010, each the median sales price of new houses sold that year including the land.
Which year had the highest median price?
2022, at $434,500. The median then fell for three years in a row: $428,600 in 2023, $420,300 in 2024 and $417,400 in 2025, the first three-year decline in the series.
Is this the price of all homes or only new ones?
Only new privately owned single-family houses sold, from the Survey of Construction. Existing-home prices are published by the National Association of Realtors, not by a federal agency, and are not in this table. New houses usually sell for more than the typical existing house.
In which years did the median price fall?
1970, 1991, 2008, 2009, 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Every other year since 1963 the annual median was higher than the year before.
How fast have new-house prices grown over the long run?
From $18,000 in 1963 to $417,400 in 2025 is 23.2 times, a compound rate of about 5.2% a year before inflation. From 1990 to 2025 the median rose 240%, or 3.56% a year.
Why is the average so much higher than the median?
A few very expensive houses pull the average up but do not move the median, which is the middle sale. In 2025 the gap was $106,400: an average of $523,800 against a median of $417,400. In 1963 the gap was $1,300.
Does the sales price include the land?
Yes. The Census note under the table says the sales price includes the land. It is the price agreed in the contract, not an appraisal.
Not financial advice
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not financial or real estate advice. Figures come from the Census Bureau and HUD on the date shown, cover new houses only and are revised by the agencies. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. It runs in your browser.