In 2023, a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer, down slightly from 26% in 2022, according to data obtained from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB. The market share of two-story foyers has been generally trending downward over the past seven years, with most new single-family homes being built without a two-story foyer nationally and regionally.

According to the Census, a two-story foyer is defined as the entranceway inside the front door of a house and has a ceiling that is at the level of the second-floor ceiling. In the United States, the share of new homes with two-story foyers fell from 26% to 25% in 2023, closer to the low level seen in 2021. This feature is often considered energy-inefficient and is seen as undesirable by both builders and buyers. The declining trend is in line with NAHB’s What Home Buyer’s Really Want, in which recent and prospective buyers rated their preference for 18 specialty rooms. The study found that two-story entry foyers was one of the least desired specialty rooms, with 32% buyers likely to reject a potential home with this feature, and only 13% seeing it as an essential/must-have feature.

Regionally, the share declined in five of the nine divisions. The decline was particularly pronounced in West South Central and New England, reversing the notable increases seen in 2022. In both divisions, the shares have now returned closer to their 2021 levels. The Middle Atlantic and West North Central were the only two divisions to see an increase in the share of two-story foyers from 2022 to 2023, with both shares reaching their highest levels since 2017. Meanwhile, shares in the South Atlantic and Pacific remained unchanged in 2023.