Apartment sizes are shrinking in these California cities, report says
Renters looking for a new home in California may be in for a surprise, as one report says apartment sizes are shrinking in many parts of the state.
About 45% of California residents are renters, according to the U.S. Census.
A report by RentCafe identified the cities with the biggest—and smallest—apartment sizes across the 100 largest renter hubs in the United States as of February 2025.
It also found the cities with the most significant square-foot gains over the last 10 years.
Overall, the report found that small apartments—one-bedroom and studios, which make up 52% of the national rental market are getting larger, with new studios gaining the most in square footage.
Two-bedroom apartments are following a similar trend, while 3-bedroom apartments lost an average of 15 square feet.
Southern California rentals shrinking, except for Irvine
According to the report, tenants in Southern California are getting cozy in their ever-smaller rentals as apartment sizes trend smaller overall.
Los Angeles was ranked No. 16 in the report's top 20 cities with the smallest apartments. The average apartment size in the City of Angels is 789 square feet, compared to the national average of 908 square feet.
In San Diego, apartments lost an average of 132 square feet over the past 10 years, while Anaheim lost 100 square feet.
One bright spot is Irvine, where two-bedroom homes grew by an average of 90 square feet.
San Francisco rentals still small, but they have grown in size
The Bay Area, with its heady mix of high-paying technology jobs and high cost of living, offers a mixed bag when it comes to apartment size.
Both San Francisco and Oakland made the top 20 of cities with the smallest new apartments, with 716 square feet and 781 square feet, respectively.
But for San Francisco, the report also found that the city gained an additional 59 square feet over more than a decade.
"This incredible growth is revising an old trend towards smaller living spaces, driven by a surge in the share of two-bedroom apartments," the report states. "Coupled with studios also getting roomier by 70 square feet, it's clear that developers are answering to the demand for more space in the Golden Gate City."
Fresno offers the most space in the Central Valley
Of all the 100 cities analyzed in the report, Fresno comes out as the California city offering renters the most living space.
Located in the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno has an average apartment size of 983 square feet, just over the national average.
It came in at No. 14 on the tally of apartment sizes for U.S. cities.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Report finds California cities with biggest, smallest rentals
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