Housing Typology
Using assessors’ data, the region’s residential properties were analyzed and categorized into 13 different housing types, within three broader categories of single-family, multi-family, and other.1 Across the region, nearly 80% of properties fall into the single-family category, about 18% are in multi-family, and the remaining in other. Similar distributions of properties are seen across most towns, with the exception of Provincetown, which actually has a majority of multi-family properties (over 70%), with nearly 60% of residential properties being categorized as condos. The next highest town in terms of percentage of properties that are multi-family was Mashpee at nearly 30%. The exponential increase in the region’s popularity as a seasonal and retiree destination in the latter half of the 1900s is borne out in the building patterns of the region’s homes. Based on this data and analysis, less than 5% of residential properties in the region were built before 1900 and only about 12% have been built in this century. Nearly 3/4 of residential properties have a year built date of 1950-1999, with almost 50% having a year built date of 1970-1999.2 Between the 1950s and the 2000s home and lot sizes steadily increased, nearly doubling and the homes built were predominantly (over 80%) single-family homes. The median residential area for properties prior to the 1900s is also noticeably larger than the mid-20th century. However, the majority of historic properties began as much smaller structures, typically under 1,000 square feet. Many have been added to over the years, often including large additions made in the late 20th century or early 21st century that significantly increased their residential area. Use the dashboard below to examine the patterns across the region and across times of home size, age, and type. For information on what went into each category, please see this document.
1. The number of residential properties does not necessarily correlate exactly to the number of housing units as some properties that would have more than one home, such as apartments, compounds, or condos, did not always have the actual number of housing units at that property listed in the assessing data. In those cases, an estimated number of units was used but this is likely an undercount of total housing units.
2. Year built data is based on current assessing records from the 15 individual towns. In some cases, the year built date may not reflect the first year a parcel went into development, but subsequent significant redevelopment. This may explain why some towns have much fewer residential properties with a year built of prior to 1900 compared to the region or other towns.