Fewer new homes are being built with outdoor decks, the latest census data shows. In 2018, the most recent data available, about 22.6% of newly built single-family homes had decks, which is down a full percentage point from a year earlier, the National Association of Home Builders reports.

The share of new homes with decks started to decline in 2009, reaching its lowest point in 2012 at 22.2%. The higher costs for a new home may be prompting some buyers to ditch the deck when they build. Fireplaces also have followed a similar downward trend.

Decks are more popular in some regions than others. People in the East South Central region—which includes Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky—may like their decks most of all. About 57% of the new homes started there in 2018 had decks, the highest percentage of all regions. On the other hand, the South Atlantic—which includes Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas—has the lowest number of new homes with decks at 18%.

© National Association of Home Builders

Overall, the average size of a deck on a new single-family home is slightly more than 250 square feet, according to the 2019 Annual Builder Practices Survey, which is conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs. The Middle and South Atlantic divisions tend to have the largest decks at slightly under 300 square feet. Also, the most popular materials that builders use for decks are treated wood and composite, a mixture of recycled wood fibers and plastic.