The Census Bureau's Survey of Construction found that vinyl and stucco were the most popular principal exterior wall material used in new homes last year. Stucco emerged as the most common material with 27% of new homes featuring stucco. Vinyl came in a close second with being used on 25% of new builds. The most popular exterior material varies from US region to region. Although brick or brick veneer was used by 20% of new builds overall, the East South Central and West South Central regions used it on the majority of new construction.
The Census Bureau’s SOC data is available by the nine census divisions and there are substantial differences in the use of siding across divisions. Vinyl siding was the most widely used primary exterior material in 4 out of 9 census divisions. In the Middle Atlantic and New England, vinyl siding was used in 75 percent and 68 percent of the new homes started in 2019. In the East and West North Central divisions, vinyl siding accounted for 62 and 44 percent respectively.
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