Jacksonville residents enjoy bigger home lots compared to many other Americans living in big cities – a recent STORAGECafe report looked at the country’s biggest 20 cities and ranked them based on their median lot size. Jacksonville, FL, ranks second only to Indianapolis and has a median lot size of 9,100 square feet.
The report also analyzed the median home size in each city – this being the total of all of a residence’s floor spaces. Jacksonville’s residents are lucky from this perspective also, with the median home a little over 1,800 square feet. The only other cities analyzed where the median home size is bigger than in Jacksonville are Charlotte, Austin, and Houston.
Jacksonville homes built in the 70s have the biggest yards
The STORAGECafe study also analyzed the decade-to-decade evolution for the past 100 years of both median lot size and home size in the country’s top 20 cities. The main takeaway is that median lot sizes are on a decreasing trajectory, particularly compared to the 60s and the 70s. At the same time, the median home sizes in all the cities analyzed increased with every decade – resulting, unsurprisingly, in less available yard space for big city residents.
As already stated, Jacksonville, FL, still has pretty sizable yards – in fact, the homes built during the past decade (2010 to 2019) had a median lot size of 7,700 square feet, which is almost 35% bigger than the lot sizes at the beginning of the period analyzed (1920 to 1929).
However, homes built in 70s, the 80s and even the 90s have much more generous yards compared to those from the past decade (2010 to 2019). The best decade for yards was the 70s, with a median lot size of over 11,000 square feet. Lots were also quite generous in the 80’s, having a median size of 9,800 square feet, and in the 90s, when they were over 10,000 square feet.
The median size of homes, on the other hand, increased constantly over the past century, starting from around 1,350 square feet in the 1920s to a median of over 2,300 square feet during the period 2010 to 2019. In other words, the median size of homes in Jacksonville, FL, increased by almost 72% over the past 100 years.
If you’re looking to buy real estate in Jacksonville and you’re mainly interested in a big yard, homes built from the 70s through the 90s are the most likely to suit your needs. If you want a lot of space inside your home, you should search for newer homes – from the 2000s onward, since they tend to be a lot bigger. Also, if you’re a Jacksonville homeowner and you’re curious about what your home might sell for on market, you can get a free instant home evaluation.
Median lot sizes vary significantly, from 1,100 square feet in Philadelphia to 9,200 in Indianapolis
Let’s see how the other big cities in the country compare to Jacksonville and how the median lot and home sizes evolved over time. Indianapolis currently has the largest median lots, covering over 9,200 square feet – that’s about 100 square feet larger than those in Jacksonville – while the median home size stands at around 1,500 square feet, a good 300 square feet smaller than Jacksonville homes. Austin, TX, ranks third in terms of median lot size, with a little over 8,600 square feet – however, the median home size, at 1,860 square feet, is slightly bigger than Jacksonville’s.
At the other end of the spectrum, the cities with the smallest home lots are Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, and Washington, DC. The median lot in Philadelphia is a meager 1,100 square feet, no doubt influenced by the abundance of townhouses and rowhouses in the area.
To put things in perspective, the median home lot in Jacksonville is approximately nine times larger than the median lot in Philadelphia. The median lot size in Chicago is 1,700 square feet, while in the country’s capital the median lot is a little over 2,600 square feet.
Seattle saw the biggest decrease in median lot size over the past century, by 65%, while San Diego experienced the most significant increase, by 46%.
So if you are thinking about moving to Jacksonville or investing in a home in Jacksonville, we would love to have a conversation with you. Give us a call today.
Navy to Navy Homes
4540 Southside Blvd Suite 702
Jacksonville, FL 32216
904-900-4766
Author: Maria Gatea, Senior Editor for STORAGECafe.com.
Maria Gatea is a creative writer for STORAGECafé with a background in journalism and communication. After covering business and finance-related topics for 15 years, she is now focusing on researching and writing about the self storage industry. You can contact Maria at maria.gatea@yardi.com.
