US Law on Mobile Homes
In the USA, mobile homes became popular after WWII. In 1974 The National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5401–5426) (the Act) was adopted. It authorized the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish and amend the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (the Construction and Safety Standards, or Standards) codified in 24 CFR part 3280.
Prior to this Act, such units were called mobile homes.
The purpose of the Act was to codify and set standards.
The American Way since 1974
See https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/07/13/2010-16724/manufactured-home-construction-and-safety-standards#
The manufactured home is the only type of residential dwelling intended to be used as either personal
or real property, meaning while all units are made in factories to a national standard, the end buyer can either choose to own the home as chattel, a moveable that has its own independent identity, or as realty, an immovable that has lost its independent identity and become part of the land.
The advantage of the latter is qualifying for a mortgage, insurance as part of the land, and often it improves the overall value of the land more than the cost of the mobile home. But the decision is up to the purchaser.
One of the reasons the US adopted its codes so early – half a century ago, was due to the fact the largest investor in the mobile home industry was and is Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world.
States With the Highest Percentage of New Manufactured Homes
| Top States | Share* |
|---|---|
| 1. Mississippi | 33.5% |
| 2. Alabama | 31.4% |
| 3. Kentucky | 29.3% |
| 4. West Virginia | 26.6% |
| 5. Louisiana | 25.0% |
| 6. Michigan | 24.9% |
| 7. Oklahoma | 19.0% |
| 8. New Mexico | 19.0% |
| 9. Maine | 16.4% |
| 10. Arkansas | 15.8% |
| 11. New York | 15.6% |
| 12. North Dakota | 14.8% |
| 13. Oregon | 14.1% |
| 14. Kansas | 13.3% |
| 15. Wyoming | 12.8% |
Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey (MHS), the U.S. Census Bureau’s Building Permits Survey, and Zillow’s Home Value Index data. To determine the states investing most in manufactured housing, researchers at Construction Coverage calculated the total manufactured home shipments as a share of all new single-family homes in 2022 (the sum of manufactured home shipments and single-family housing units authorized by building permits). In the event of a tie, the state with the greater total manufactured home shipments was ranked higher.