According to a new report by RentCafe, a national housing search website, that analyzed changes in built-up areas of the 100 largest U.S. cities, the size of apartments in the country has shrunk over the past decade, reaching a new low average of 887 square feet. It's also a trend that will continue to spread.

“Notably, last year's decrease comes after the two pandemic years, 2020 and 2021, when the average size of new apartments actually increased. Once again, this confirmed the developers' quick response to the need for more space during the pandemic, as they adjusted floorplans in order to accommodate large enough configurations to fit a home office,” noted RentCafe.

What's the picture in Philly?

The report highlighted that although apartments in Philadelphia continue to be among the smallest in the country, they have increased in size in the last decade. Pittsburgh has the largest apartments in Pennsylvania.

“Apartments in Philadelphia measure 780 square feet today — that’s an extra 10 square feet gained in the last decade. Despite this increase, apartments in Philly are the 9th smallest in the nation after Boston and Washinton D.C.,” cited RentCafe. 

Here are the highlights about apartments in and around the City of Brotherly Love:

• Units under construction are anticipated to be reduced to an estimated size of 680 square feet, which is 100 square feet less than existing rentals.
• Pittsburgh offers the most spacious new apartments in Pennsylvania, averaging 857 square feet. Rental sizes there have increased 9% (or 80 square feet) in the last decade, enough to set up a small home office.

The national picture

“2022 presented a different story: With one of the highest levels of construction in half a century, the year was marked by the need for more housing all across the country. As such, more studios and one-bedroom apartments were finished in 2022 than ever before. In fact, the share of smaller units reached a historic high of 57% in 2022 — a significant change compared to 10 years ago, when they represented exactly half of apartments built,” cited RentCafe.