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Average Bedroom Size and Design Considerations

Average Bedroom Size and Design Considerations

From luxurious bedrooms with walk-in closets to small, functional bedrooms, bedroom size can vary a lot from one home to another.

The average bedroom size is a good reference point if you’re looking into purchasing a new home or want to remodel your current house or apartment.

How Much Room Do You Need for a Bed?

Here is how much room you will need for different bed sizes and 2.5’ of clearance: You’ll need 110 by 68” for a Twin or Twin XL bed.

If you sleep in a full bed, make sure you have at least 105 by 83” of available space; you won’t be able to fit a queen bed in your bedroom unless you have 110 by 90” of space.

King beds will require 110 by 106” of space; if you want a California King bed, we recommend a bedroom with at least 114 by 102” of space.

What Is the Average Bedroom Size?

In the US, the average bedroom size is 132 square feet. The most common bedroom size is 11’ by 12’.

However, newly constructed homes often have larger master bedrooms that measure up to 224 square feet in size.

Ideally, your bedroom should be large enough to accommodate your bed, and you should have two to three feet of clearance around your bed.

If you sleep in a queen bed, a 100-square-foot bedroom will be sufficient, but you’ll need more room for storage, furniture, or a desk.

A 10 by 10’ bedroom can feel cramped, especially if you’re used to something larger. However, there are solutions to explore to make the most of your small space.

A platform bed can help you save space. If the ceiling height doesn’t allow for a platform bed, look into getting an elevated bed with some storage underneath to save space.

More About Standard Bedroom Sizes

The average bedroom size can vary a lot from one area to another. It’s common to see smaller bedrooms in dense cities with a high per-square-foot price for real estate.

Inversely, homeowners who invest in new construction often get larger bedrooms.

Average House and Apartment Bedroom Size

Image of an average sized apartment bedroom depicting a modern white rom with a white and grey bed

Gabo_Arts/Shutterstock

The average bedroom size is 132 square feet, but living in a house or an apartment can influence this number. Apartment and condo dwellers tend to have smaller bedrooms.

In a city like New York, more than 23% of the population lives in apartments. Bedrooms often only measure 10’ by 10’ due to the limited space available. It’s more common to find larger bedrooms in houses.

Bedrooms can reach 224 square feet and sometimes exceed 300 square feet for houses with master bedrooms. And for the 5.6% of Americans who live in trailers, bedrooms can measure 10’ by 12’ or even 12’ by 14’ depending on the floor plan.

Legal Requirements

Did you know there are legal requirements for referring to a room as a bedroom?

These legal requirements establish guidelines that landlords and developers have to meet when advertising homes with a certain number of bedrooms.

These guidelines can vary from one state to another, but a room typically has to have 70 or 80 square feet of available space to qualify as a bedroom.

The shape of the room should also allow for at least seven feet in any direction to accommodate for a bed.

There are additional requirements to meet, such as having a ceiling height higher than seven feet for at least half of the room. Some states and cities have additional requirements.

For instance, some cities in Michigan require homes to have at least 50 square feet per person. This rule translates to a requirement of 100 square feet for a master bedroom since two people would sleep in that room.

Average Master Bedroom Size

Image of a master bedroom for a piece on the average bedroom size

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It’s common to find master bedrooms in older homes. These rooms often had a washroom and a nursery connected to them. This trend is making a major comeback.

Adding one or more master bedrooms to a floor plan often justifies a higher price, but it’s a way of introducing luxurious features and amenities.

Upscale homes often feature large master bedrooms with walk-in closets and owner’s bathrooms. Master bedrooms should have a minimum size of 224 square feet to accommodate a queen-sized bed, but it’s frequent to find larger master bedrooms.

Average Kid’s Bedroom Size

Since children typically sleep in twin beds, their bedrooms don’t need to be as large. However two-thirds of households opt to have children share a bedroom.

Because of this trend, homeowners often pick one of the largest rooms in their home for their children.

Having children share a bedroom might be a necessity in some cases, but it’s also a great way of encouraging children to develop a close bond.

Plus, it teaches them to share things and find compromises. For houses with multiple bedrooms, having the children share a bedroom can free up some space for a playroom, gym, or home office.

The Percentage of House Bedrooms Typically Represent

Graphic floorplan of an apartment for a piece on average apartment bedroom size

Billy333/Shutterstock

On average, bedrooms represent 17% of the total surface of a home. However, this percentage can vary based on the size of the home. The current trend is to build larger homes.

These homes typically have more bedrooms, a large open living space, and some additional flex rooms. In these homes, bedrooms might occupy a smaller percentage of the total living surface. On average, new homes have 2,600 square feet of living space.

And this number has been steadily increasing. On the other hand, apartments tend to get smaller. The current average size for an apartment is 941 square feet, and this number has been going down by 28% over the past 10 years.

Standard Bedrooms Number Per House

A majority of homes have a total of five rooms. This configuration represents 22% of all homes. Smaller homes with one to three rooms account for 16% of all homes, and 19% of homes have four rooms.

Only 13% of all homes have eight rooms or more. These percentages represent the total number of rooms. Houses with three bedrooms are the most common since they represent 38% of all rooms.

A little under a third of all homes have two bedrooms, and only 15% have four bedrooms or more. In 2020, the average number of people per household was 2.53, which suggests that a majority of people have their own bedroom.

Average Bedroom Size Around the World

To highlight the average bedroom size, a blue bedroom in India is pictured with a bed and a sitting area

Radiokafka/Shutterstock

Housing trends can vary a lot from one country to another. Australia tops the list of the countries with the largest homes with an average size that exceeds 2,500 square feet. Countries like Japan tend to have smaller homes with an average size of 1,300 square feet.

It’s common to see studios with a total living surface of 290 square feet. In the UK, the average home size is 729 square feet but drops to 705 square feet in London.

The average bedroom size varies in function of how large homes are. In fact, there are different standards for bed sizes to accommodate these different trends.

For instance, a queen bed that measures 60″ by 80” in the US would measure 60″ by 78” in the UK, where people call it a king bed.

A king bed in the US that measures 76″ by 80” only measures 72″ by 78” in the UK. You would find these beds under the super king category.

Average Dorm Room Size

For 6% of university students, the college experience includes sharing a room. Living in a dorm room is something that 40% of college students do on average.

These rooms are more than a bedroom since it’s a space where students can study and sometimes prepare meals.

The good news is that dorm rooms are often larger than regular bedrooms. On average, college students living on campus have 12 by 19’ dorm rooms or a total of 228 square feet. 

However, 22% of college students live in older dorm buildings where rooms can sometimes be smaller.

Average Hotel Room Size

Image for a piece on average bedroom size featuring a hotel room with modern white walls and dark trim

7Days Design/Shutterstock

Going away from home is an opportunity to experience luxurious accommodations. The average hotel room is 300 square feet, which gives travelers a space that feels roomy compared to the bedroom they’re used to.

However, many hotel chains now offer smaller rooms that are closer to 200 square feet. This trend allows hotel rooms to offer prices that are more competitive and attract young adults traveling on a budget.

Final Thoughts

Photo depicting a typical bedroom size with a large bed with underlit edges

Santiago Cornejo/Shutterstock

While the average bedroom size can vary from one home to another, the average size is 132 square feet.

This number has been increasing over the past decades, and it’s common to find larger master bedrooms in recent homes.

However, apartment dwellers often have to settle for smaller bedrooms.