From American Consumers Newsletter 

How much have the characteristics of new single-family homes changed since the peak in 2006? Although fewer new single-family homes are being completed, according to the Census Bureau, those coming on the market are bigger than ever.

Number: 569,000 new single-family homes were completed in 2013, only about one-third of the 1,654,000 completions in 2006. But the 2013 number was one-third higher than the all-time low of 447,000 reached in 2011.

Size: The size of new single-family homes reached a record high in 2013 – a median of 2,384 sq. ft. That's 136 sq. ft. larger than the 2,248 of 2006.

Bathrooms: 33 percent of new single-family homes had three or more bathrooms in 2013, up from 26 percent in 2006.

Bedrooms: 44 percent of new single-family homes had four or more bedrooms in 2013, up from 39 percent in 2006.

Garages: The 64 percent majority of new single-family homes completed in 2013 had a two-car garage and another 21 percent had a three-or-more car garage. The figures were 64 and 19 percent, respectively, in 2006. 

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW

The $51,381 median income of households headed by 25-to-34-year-olds in 2012 was 13 percent less than the median income of their counterparts in 2000, after adjusting for inflation – a loss of  $7,838.

– By Cheryl Russell