The most popular house styles, according to each state 

Finding a home that’s perfect for you is not just about the right timing—it’s also about finding the right style. The popularity of certain house styles depends on various factors, from the region and climate to neighborhood and personal preference. 

Whatever the reason for their preferences, we wanted to determine the most popular house styles in the country, so we surveyed over 2,200 Americans. We showed them visuals of 15 common house styles and asked them to rate their favorites and least favorites, and they also answered some questions about their tastes. From there, we determined the most popular house styles in 40 different states and gained some insight into what home buyers might be looking for. 

Key Findings 

• The most popular house styles in the U.S. are cottage, contemporary, Mediterranean and craftsman. 
• The house styles Americans are most likely to never want to see again include: adobe, contemporary, townhouse, and colonial. 
• 76% of Americans would buy a house that’s ugly on the outside, in their opinion, but perfect on the inside. 

The Most Attractive House Style, According to Each State 

We tabulated the regional results and determined the most attractive house styles according to each state. Cottage and contemporary both scored the highest, winning eight states each. For cottage, these included states on either coast, such as Washington and Virginia, as well as states in the middle of the country, like Oklahoma. 

Known for their coziness and diminutive size, cottage-style homes typically have stone or wood elements and often include porches. Cottage-style homes also make great places to collaborate with local gardeners to create the Clean and minimal are two words that define the contemporary-style home. Often grouped under the “modern” umbrella, which includes sharp, contrasting lines and colors, “contemporary” also serves as a catch-all term for what is popular in many new builds in America. In our survey, it notably won out in Midwestern states, including Indiana, Illinois, and Minnesota. 

Other popular home styles, broken down by state, include Mediterranean (seven states) and craftsman (four states). States that did not have an adequate number of responses are not included in this breakdown. 

Here is the complete list of the most popular house styles in every state: 

• Alabama: Mediterranean 
• Alaska: Not available 
• Arizona: Mediterranean 
• Arkansas: Mediterranean 
• California: Craftsman 
• Colorado: Cottage 
• Connecticut: Cottage 
• Delaware: Not available 
• Florida: Mediterranean 
• Georgia: Farmhouse 
• Hawaii: Not available 
• Idaho: Not available 
• Illinois: Contemporary 
• Indiana: Contemporary 
• Iowa: Craftsman 
• Kansas: Contemporary 
• Kentucky: Mid-century modern 
• Louisiana: Tudor 
• Maine: Cape Cod 
• Maryland: Adobe 
• Massachusetts: Contemporary 
• Michigan: Victorian 
• Minnesota: Contemporary 
• Mississippi: Contemporary 
• Missouri: Cottage 
• Montana: Not available 
• Nebraska: Cottage 
• Nevada: Mediterranean 
• New Hampshire: Victorian 
• New Jersey: Colonial 
• New Mexico: Adobe 
• New York: Contemporary 
• North Carolina: Farmhouse 
• North Dakota: Not available 
• Ohio: Tudor 
• Oklahoma: Cottage 
• Oregon: Craftsman 
• Pennsylvania: Mid-century modern 
• Rhode Island: Not available 
• South Carolina: Victorian 
• South Dakota: Not available 
• Tennessee: Craftsman 
• Texas: Mediterranean 
• Utah: Contemporary 
• Vermont: Not available 
• Virginia: Cottage 
• Washington: Cottage 
• West Virginia: Cottage 
• Wisconsin: Colonial 
• Wyoming: Not available