Andrey Kamenov, Ph.D. Probability and Statistics
Does your house have a porch? Or maybe a patio?
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction suggests that these two outdoor features are becoming increasingly popular, with each of them present in more than half of all homes sold since 2004. Conversely, the percentage of new homes sold with a deck or without any outdoor features are decreasing, with less than one in five homes sold in 2013 having a deck and less than one in ten with no outdoor features whatsoever.
Since the sum of the percentages is over 100, it’s easy to guess that a substantial number of homes have more than one feature present. In fact, over the last few years, more than half of all homes sold with porches also had a patio and vice versa. Additionally, 4 percent of all homes sold had all three features present.
Interestingly enough, decks are more popular with more expensive homes — the average price is almost 20 percent higher than that of homes featuring a patio or a porch.
Let’s also take a look at the map. Here we show the percentage of new homes sold in 2013 with each one of three types of outdoor features. You can see that patios are especially popular in the West South Central states (84 percent of all homes sold), while decks are most popular in New England (74 percent). Porches are especially popular among people living in the East South Central division, where a whopping 90 percent of new homes have them.
About Andrey Kamenov
Andrey Kamenov, Ph.D. Probability and Statistics
Andrey Kamenov is a data scientist working for Advameg Inc. His background includes teaching statistics, stochastic processes and financial mathematics in Moscow State University and working for a hedge fund. His academic interests range from statistical data analysis to optimal stopping theory. Andrey also enjoys his hobbies of photography, reading and powerlifting.
Other posts by Andrey Kamenov: