Top 35 Tiny Home Statistics and Facts of 2023

Surveys over the past few years show the tiny house movement increases in popularity because more Americans are looking for more affordable home options. The appeal of downsizing and promoting a sustainable living lifestyle are motivating factors for many. We’ve created a list of general statistics, market trends and popular characteristics of tiny homes, along with the types of people living in these smaller spaces, to highlight the biggest takeaways of the tiny home movement.

Tiny House Statistics 

1. Henry David Thoreau built the original tiny house in 1845. ¹
2. To be considered a tiny house, a home and hallways must have a minimum ceiling height of 6’8″. ² 
3. Airbnb has 60,000 tiny homes listed as a unique stay experience. ³
4. The average size of a tiny home ranges from 100 to 400 square feet — six times smaller than an average house. ⁴
5. Tiny homes produce fewer CO2 emissions each year than an average-sized home. ⁵
6. There are more than 10,000 tiny homes in the United States. ⁶
7. The average cost of a tiny home is $52,000, 87% cheaper than the average price of a typical U.S. home. ⁷
8. More than 80% of tiny house owners have less debt than the average U.S. citizen. ⁸
9. Approximately two out of five tiny homeowners are older than 50 years of age. ⁹ 
10. 55% of tiny house owners are women. ⁹

Tiny Home Trends and Affordability

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the cost of renting a home will increase 8.4% in 2023. Because of these increasing costs, tiny houses may attract more attention from homebuyers. 

11. The tiny homes market size is estimated to have a compound annual growth rate of 4.88% between 2022 and 2027. ¹⁰
12. The size of the tiny house market is forecast to grow another $4.17 million by 2027. ¹⁰
13. North America is projected to contribute 57% of the growth in tiny homes by 2027. ¹⁰
14. Affordability is driving the global tiny house market growth. ¹⁰
15. Tiny houses are recognized as the most affordable housing system, preferred especially by millennials. ¹⁰
16. 56% of Americans would live in a tiny home, given the opportunity. ¹¹ 
17. 68% of tiny house owners don’t have a mortgage, compared to 29.3% of all U.S. homeowners. ⁹
18. 55% of tiny house owners have more savings than the average American. ⁹
19. 32% of tiny house owners have more than $10,000 saved for retirement. ⁹

Tiny House Characteristics 

Tiny homes and real estate statistics show states that may be more affordable for a homebuyer than others. Americans also find certain living space features of tiny homes more attractive than others.

20. The average cost of a tiny house is between $30,000 and $60,000, although they can cost as little as $8,000 or up to $150,000. ¹²
21. 86% of homeowners would consider buying a tiny home for their first home. ¹¹
22. Rural areas are seeing the most buying interest in tiny homes. ¹¹
23. North Dakota is the cheapest state in which to buy a tiny home. ¹³
24. Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Missouri are all states where you can buy a tiny home for less than $40,000. ¹³
25. 54% of people would prefer their tiny home to be mobile. ¹¹
26. Affordability, efficiency, eco-friendliness, and a minimal lifestyle are the top reasons why Americans would like to live in a tiny home. ¹¹
27. Heating/AC and kitchen space are the top most desired amenities in tiny homes. ¹¹

Demographics of People Living in Tiny Homes 

We’re learning more about tiny homebuyers and the characteristics of people that choose to live in a tiny house community. 

28. Tiny house owners are twice as likely to hold a Master’s degree. ⁹
29. The average annual income of people who live in tiny homes is $42,038. ⁹
30. 78% of tiny homeowners own their own home compared to 65% of traditional homeowners. ⁹
31. Approximately two out of five tiny home owners are over the age of 50, two out of five are between the ages of 30 and 50, and around one in five are under the age of 30. ⁹

Tiny House Environmental Impact Statistics

Because of the small home size and the way tiny home builders construct these spaces, there are many eco-friendly advantages of tiny homeownership. 

32. Tiny homes produce about 2,000 pounds of CO2 emissions each year. That’s much less than the 28,000 pounds produced by an average-sized home. ⁵
33. A tiny home uses only about 7% of the energy that a traditional house does. ¹⁴
34. Tiny homes lower the greenhouse effect by 36% compared to standard-sized homes. ¹⁴
35. A tiny house requires fewer materials to build and consumers lower amounts of water, gas, and electricity than traditional homes.¹⁴

Appendix

1. Apartment Therapy
2. ICCSAFE
3. iProperty Management
4. Business Insider
5. American Institute of Architects
6. iProperty Management
7. CNBC
8. Go Downsize
9. The Tiny Life
10. Technavio
11. IPX1031
12. Rocket Mortgage
13. Porch
14. USDN