After over two years of spiking real estate prices, mortgage rates, and rents, the housing affordability crisis in the U.S. is more apparent than ever. Policymakers, economic experts, and regular U.S. households have been searching for tools to alleviate the pressure of housing costs. Expanding manufactured housing is one possible solution.
The category of manufactured housing includes housing units that are prefabricated in a factory and then transported to their ultimate destinations. Because these units tend to have simple designs and materials that make them efficient to produce, they are often significantly less expensive than site-built homes. A 2023 report from the Manufactured Housing Institute found the average cost per square foot of a manufactured home was $85, roughly half of the $168 cost per square foot of a site-built home.
For lower- and middle-income families, this more affordable option has significant appeal. Currently, 21.2 million Americans live in manufactured homes, and manufactured homes represent around one out of every nine new homes constructed in the U.S. each year. Further, the quality of manufactured homes has increased as well, with better materials, greater energy efficiency, and improved designs.
After plummeting during the onset of the pandemic, manufactured home shipments rose to 122,000 per year, more than doubling in the span of a decade. However, with a backdrop of rising mortgage interest rates and stubborn inflation, manufactured home shipments have declined dramatically. As of June 2023, the annual shipment rate sat at just 87,000 homes—down nearly 30% since peaking in March 2022.
While manufactured homes remain relatively low-cost, the growing demand for housing has pushed prices higher in recent years. Since 2014, the average sale price of a manufactured home has grown by 82.6%, while the median value across all homes climbed 102.1%. For both manufactured and site-built homes, most of this growth occurred in 2020 and 2021 before plateauing in 2022 amid rising interest rates.
Manufactured housing varies in popularity across the U.S., but the South stands out for its higher concentration of manufactured homes. Fast-growing, high-population southern states like Texas, Florida, and North Carolina rank among the top states for total manufactured home shipments. But as a share of all new single-family homes, top locations include lower-income states like Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia, whose residents may be more drawn to manufactured homes as an affordable option.
Below is a complete breakdown of all 50 states. The report was produced by researchers at Construction Coverage, a website that compares construction software and insurance. The researchers analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Zillow. For more information, see the methodology section.
Here are the U.S. states buying the most manufactured homes.
U.S. States Buying the Most Manufactured Homes
Photo Credit: Jess Kraft / Shutterstock
15. Wyoming
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 12.8%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 282
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 1,924
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $122,900
- Median price across all homes: $338,857
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
14. Kansas
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 13.3%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 852
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 5,567
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $100,800
- Median price across all homes: $216,151
Photo Credit: Robert Crum / Shutterstock
13. Oregon
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 14.1%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 1,691
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 10,312
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $142,200
- Median price across all homes: $496,690
Photo Credit: Jacob Boomsma / Shutterstock
12. North Dakota
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 14.8%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 340
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 1,964
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $146,100
- Median price across all homes: $249,529
Photo Credit: Mihai Andritoiu / Shutterstock
11. New York
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 15.6%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 2,042
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 11,057
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $122,100
- Median price across all homes: $449,285
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
10. Arkansas
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 15.8%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 1,778
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 9,465
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $119,200
- Median price across all homes: $199,830
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
9. Maine
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 16.4%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 963
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 4,918
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $123,000
- Median price across all homes: $385,666
Photo Credit: turtix / Shutterstock
8. New Mexico
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 19.0%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 1,706
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 7,254
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $122,400
- Median price across all homes: $293,325
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
7. Oklahoma
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 19.0%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 2,570
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 10,942
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $119,400
- Median price across all homes: $198,995
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
6. Michigan
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 24.9%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 4,968
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 15,015
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $109,700
- Median price across all homes: $237,028
Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock
5. Louisiana
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 25.0%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 4,586
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 13,727
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $119,000
- Median price across all homes: $200,028
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
4. West Virginia
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 26.6%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 1,070
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 2,947
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $138,200
- Median price across all homes: $155,148
Photo Credit: Alexey Stiop / Shutterstock
3. Kentucky
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 29.3%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 3,627
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 8,755
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $130,800
- Median price across all homes: $201,843
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
2. Alabama
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 31.4%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 7,312
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 15,968
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $114,600
- Median price across all homes: $222,005
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
1. Mississippi
- Manufactured homes as a share of all new single-family homes: 33.5%
- Total manufactured home shipments: 3,535
- Total site-built single-family home permits: 7,020
- Average sale price of manufactured homes: $126,100
- Median price across all homes: $176,655
Detailed Findings & Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey (MHS), the U.S. Census Bureau’s Building Permits Survey, and Zillow’s Home Value Index data. To determine the states investing most in manufactured housing, researchers at Construction Coverage calculated the total manufactured home shipments as a share of all new single-family homes in 2022 (the sum of manufactured home shipments and single-family housing units authorized by building permits). In the event of a tie, the state with the greater total manufactured home shipments was ranked higher.
For complete results, see U.S. States Investing Most in Manufactured Housing on Construction Coverage.
