American apartments are getting smaller. According to a study by real estate consultants RCLCO, the average size of apartments built between 2010 and 2016 in New York and San Francisco was 855 square feet, a reduction from 894 square feet from 2000 to 2009.
More people are living alone as millennials are getting married later, so more studios and one-bedroom apartments are entering the market, which reduces the average size of all new units.
In the very high-cost markets of New York and San Francisco, 29 percent of studio and one-bedroom apartments are now smaller than 600 square feet, up from 22 percent in the previous period, Anne Riley writes in Bloomberg.
TV shows are catching up to the micro-living trend. Gone are the days of Monica and Rachels giant NYC apartment on Friends or Carries Sex and the City walk-in closet. Grittier shows like HBOs Girls depict NYC apartments in a more realistic light, replete with showers in the kitchen, no natural light and rat infestations.