Family Structure of Custom Home Seekers Diversifies into 5 Types ─ 65% Child-Rearing Households, Over 70% of Senior Couples Desire Single-Story Homes; Needs by Household Type Seen in 152,153 Cases
Town Life Future Research Institute announced the results of an analysis of 152,153 valid inquiries received by its custom-built housing matching service "Town Life Ie-zukuri" from April 2024 to April 2026. The study revealed that the household composition of custom home seekers diversifies into five types, with significant differences in desired number of floors, building budget, and age distribution among each type.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 01:46
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 17:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 17:41 (9 min after Collected)
Town Life Future Research Institute (Town Life Inc.) announced today that an analysis of 152,153 valid inquiries submitted to its custom-built housing matching service "Town Life Ie-zukuri" between April 2024 and April 2026 revealed that the household composition of custom home seekers diverges into five distinct types. Furthermore, significant differences were found in the desired number of floors, building budgets, and age distributions for each type.
Executive Summary
The household types of custom home seekers are categorized into 5 types: Child-rearing households 65.1%, Couples only 13.2%, Multi-generational/Large families 9.3%, Senior couples 6.8%, and Single-person households 5.6%.
71.9% of senior couples desire "single-story homes" ─ significantly exceeding 24.8% for two-story homes, making single-story homes standard for seniors.
65.5% of single-person households also desire single-story homes ─ single-story homes are a central option for single households.
Child-rearing households primarily prefer two-story homes at 71.1% ─ clearly diverging from 21.1% for single-story homes.
Median building budget: 30 million yen for child-rearing and couples-only households, 25 million yen for senior, single-person, and multi-generational households.
Distribution of children in child-rearing households: 2 children account for 48.7% (majority), 1 child 31.4%, 3 children 15.7%.
Concentration in the three major metropolitan areas (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama): Tokyo has the largest share (11-14%) across all household types, with the three prefectures of the Greater Tokyo Area accounting for 27-30%.
Survey Outline
Item | Content
---|---
Survey Target | Town Life Ie-zukuri inquiries
Survey Period | April 1, 2024, to April 15, 2026
Valid Sample Size | N=152,153
Analysis Method | Clustering of household types based on structured attribute data (planned number of people, age, desired number of floors, building budget, address prefecture)
Source | Town Life Future Research Institute survey
Definition of Household Types
In this survey, applicants were classified into the following 5 types by combining the planned number of people (adults, children, infants) and age.
Household Type | Definition
---|---
Child-rearing households | 1 or more adults + children/infants present
Couples only | 2 adults + no children/infants + household head 49 years old or younger
Senior couples | 2 adults + no children/infants + household head 50 years old or older
Single-person households | 1 adult + no children/infants
Multi-generational/Large families | 3 or more adults
*Out of 152,153 valid samples, 42 cases (0.03%) where either the planned number of people or age attribute was missing could not be classified into any of the above 5 types, and are therefore excluded from subsequent household type-specific aggregations. Thus, the total number of cases for the 5 types is 152,111.
Main Survey Results
1. Household types are 5 classifications ─ Child-rearing households form the core at 65.1%, while other diverse groups account for 35%.
Aggregating the household types of custom home seekers, it was found that child-rearing households accounted for 99,001 cases (65.1%), forming the core, while diverse groups other than child-rearing households accounted for 34.9%, including couples only with 20,031 cases (13.2%), multi-generational/large families with 14,150 cases (9.3%), senior couples with 10,346 cases (6.8%), and single-person households with 8,583 cases (5.6%).
While the image of "custom home seekers = child-rearing households" is largely correct for the core, it has been confirmed that about one in three people are households that have finished raising children or have no intention of raising children from the outset, indicating that the market is composed of a broader segment than initially assumed.
Figure 1: Composition of custom home seeker household types. Child-rearing households form the core at 65.1%, with senior couples, couples only, single-person households, and multi-generational households totaling 34.9%.
2. The contours of each segment seen from age distribution.
Looking at the age distribution by household type, it was found that each segment has a distinct age peak.
Child-rearing households: 42.1% in their 30s + 30.7% in their 20s = 73% in their 20s-30s.
Couples only: 38.0% in their 20s + 34.2% in their 30s + 27.8% in their 40s ─ predominantly younger.
Senior couples: 53.9% in their 50s + 38.1% in their 60s + 8.0% in their 70s and above (as defined, 50s and above).
Single-person households: 30.9% in their 50s + 22.3% in their 40s + 18.3% in their 60s (predominantly middle-aged and older).
Multi-generational/Large families: 35.2% in their 50s + 20.6% in their 60s (households considering living with parents or two-family homes).
A clear division along the age axis was observed, with child-rearing and couples-only households being predominantly younger generations, and the other three types being predominantly middle-aged to older generations.
Figure 2: Age composition ratio by household type. Each household type has a distinct age peak.
3. 71.9% of senior couples desire "single-story homes" ─ a stark contrast to 71.1% for child-rearing households preferring two-story homes.
Aggregating the desired number of floors by household type, it was found that the structure of desired homes clearly diverged.
Household Type | Two-story | Single-story | Three-story
---|---|---|---
Child-rearing households | 71.1% | 21.1% | 7.8%
Couples only | 52.1% | 42.5% | 5.3%
Senior couples | 71.9% | (Implied: High desire for single-story) | (Not directly given for three-story for seniors, but for other types) |
(Note: The original table for senior couples only provides a percentage for single-story, the two-story and three-story are implicit from the text before the table.)
Executive Summary
The household types of custom home seekers are categorized into 5 types: Child-rearing households 65.1%, Couples only 13.2%, Multi-generational/Large families 9.3%, Senior couples 6.8%, and Single-person households 5.6%.
71.9% of senior couples desire "single-story homes" ─ significantly exceeding 24.8% for two-story homes, making single-story homes standard for seniors.
65.5% of single-person households also desire single-story homes ─ single-story homes are a central option for single households.
Child-rearing households primarily prefer two-story homes at 71.1% ─ clearly diverging from 21.1% for single-story homes.
Median building budget: 30 million yen for child-rearing and couples-only households, 25 million yen for senior, single-person, and multi-generational households.
Distribution of children in child-rearing households: 2 children account for 48.7% (majority), 1 child 31.4%, 3 children 15.7%.
Concentration in the three major metropolitan areas (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama): Tokyo has the largest share (11-14%) across all household types, with the three prefectures of the Greater Tokyo Area accounting for 27-30%.
Survey Outline
Item | Content
---|---
Survey Target | Town Life Ie-zukuri inquiries
Survey Period | April 1, 2024, to April 15, 2026
Valid Sample Size | N=152,153
Analysis Method | Clustering of household types based on structured attribute data (planned number of people, age, desired number of floors, building budget, address prefecture)
Source | Town Life Future Research Institute survey
Definition of Household Types
In this survey, applicants were classified into the following 5 types by combining the planned number of people (adults, children, infants) and age.
Household Type | Definition
---|---
Child-rearing households | 1 or more adults + children/infants present
Couples only | 2 adults + no children/infants + household head 49 years old or younger
Senior couples | 2 adults + no children/infants + household head 50 years old or older
Single-person households | 1 adult + no children/infants
Multi-generational/Large families | 3 or more adults
*Out of 152,153 valid samples, 42 cases (0.03%) where either the planned number of people or age attribute was missing could not be classified into any of the above 5 types, and are therefore excluded from subsequent household type-specific aggregations. Thus, the total number of cases for the 5 types is 152,111.
Main Survey Results
1. Household types are 5 classifications ─ Child-rearing households form the core at 65.1%, while other diverse groups account for 35%.
Aggregating the household types of custom home seekers, it was found that child-rearing households accounted for 99,001 cases (65.1%), forming the core, while diverse groups other than child-rearing households accounted for 34.9%, including couples only with 20,031 cases (13.2%), multi-generational/large families with 14,150 cases (9.3%), senior couples with 10,346 cases (6.8%), and single-person households with 8,583 cases (5.6%).
While the image of "custom home seekers = child-rearing households" is largely correct for the core, it has been confirmed that about one in three people are households that have finished raising children or have no intention of raising children from the outset, indicating that the market is composed of a broader segment than initially assumed.
Figure 1: Composition of custom home seeker household types. Child-rearing households form the core at 65.1%, with senior couples, couples only, single-person households, and multi-generational households totaling 34.9%.
2. The contours of each segment seen from age distribution.
Looking at the age distribution by household type, it was found that each segment has a distinct age peak.
Child-rearing households: 42.1% in their 30s + 30.7% in their 20s = 73% in their 20s-30s.
Couples only: 38.0% in their 20s + 34.2% in their 30s + 27.8% in their 40s ─ predominantly younger.
Senior couples: 53.9% in their 50s + 38.1% in their 60s + 8.0% in their 70s and above (as defined, 50s and above).
Single-person households: 30.9% in their 50s + 22.3% in their 40s + 18.3% in their 60s (predominantly middle-aged and older).
Multi-generational/Large families: 35.2% in their 50s + 20.6% in their 60s (households considering living with parents or two-family homes).
A clear division along the age axis was observed, with child-rearing and couples-only households being predominantly younger generations, and the other three types being predominantly middle-aged to older generations.
Figure 2: Age composition ratio by household type. Each household type has a distinct age peak.
3. 71.9% of senior couples desire "single-story homes" ─ a stark contrast to 71.1% for child-rearing households preferring two-story homes.
Aggregating the desired number of floors by household type, it was found that the structure of desired homes clearly diverged.
Household Type | Two-story | Single-story | Three-story
---|---|---|---
Child-rearing households | 71.1% | 21.1% | 7.8%
Couples only | 52.1% | 42.5% | 5.3%
Senior couples | 71.9% | (Implied: High desire for single-story) | (Not directly given for three-story for seniors, but for other types) |
(Note: The original table for senior couples only provides a percentage for single-story, the two-story and three-story are implicit from the text before the table.)