Manufactured Homes Account for 5.4% of US Housing

According to the US Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey (AHS), with additional analysis by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), there are 7.2 million occupied manufactured homes in the U.S. This represents 5.4% of all occupied housing and serves as an important source of affordable housing, particularly for rural and lower-income households.

Often conflated with “mobile homes” or “trailers,” manufactured homes are a distinct type of factory-built housing that complies with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. To qualify, a manufactured home must be a movable dwelling at least 8 feet wide and 40 feet long, constructed on a permanent chassis.

The East South Central division (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee) has the highest concentration of manufactured homes, accounting for 9.3% of occupied housing. The Mountain region follows with 8.5%, and the South Atlantic region with 7.7%.

Although data on manufactured home appreciation is limited, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) publishes a quarterly house price index for manufactured homes. When compared with the index for site-built homes, manufactured homes have shown similar appreciation trends. From 2000Q1 to 2024Q4, the index for manufactured homes rose by 203.7%, slightly outpacing the 200.2% increase for site-built homes. This suggests that manufactured homes experience many of the same market dynamics as traditional housing, including demand pressures and supply constraints, NAHB said.

While manufactured homes make up just 5% of the total housing stock, the AHS report notes they offer a valuable alternative for a range of households, especially in rural areas. Despite their lower cost relative to site-built homes, challenges such as aging inventory, limited financing options, and restrictive zoning may impact their accessibility and long-term viability.