Cleveland bucks national trend as new apartments get bigger
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.


The average size of newly built apartments in Cleveland has grown 7% over the past decade, according to a report by RentCafe, an apartment-search website.
Why it matters: Cleveland is an outlier both regionally and nationally, with most markets experiencing significant shrinkage.
By the numbers: Apartments built in Cleveland between 2015 and 2024 averaged 837 square feet, per the report.
- That puts us 72nd out of the 100 cities analyzed in overall size.
- But we rank third in growth from the previous decade, with a gain of 57 square feet.
Driving the news: In many cities where apartments are downsizing, developers are prioritizing smaller floor plans, RentCafe found.
The other side: In Cleveland, as in other growing markets, developers have built slightly larger one-bedroom units and brought more two- and three-bedroom apartments online.
The big picture: Though new apartments shrank decade-over-decade nationwide, more recent trends point to growth.
- New apartments averaged 908 square feet in 2024 compared to 891 in 2022.
What we're watching: The recent uptick in U.S. apartment size coincided with a building boom that has since cooled.

