#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial

2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey
U.S. Energy Information Administration #CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 2

U.S. Energy Information Administration

Office of Energy Statistics

U.S. Department of Energy

Washington, DC 20585

This publication is available at:

https://www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial

This report was prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency 

within the U.S. Department of Energy. By law, EIA's data and analyses are independent of approval by any other officer 

or employee of the United States Government. The views in this report therefore should not be construed as 

representing those of the U.S. Department of Energy or other federal agencies.

2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey

Preliminary Results

November 2020
U.S. Energy Information Administration

What is the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)?

CBECS is

• The only independent, statistically representative source of national-level data on the characteristics and energy use of commercial buildings

• A snapshot of the commercial buildings stock and energy use for the reference year—in this case, 2018

• A sample survey where every commercial building has a known chance of being selected

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects data for commercial buildings in two parts:

• Building characteristics are collected in an in-person or web survey of building owners and managers (6,436 building owners and managers 

responded in 2018).

• Energy usage data are collected from suppliers of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, and district heat.

EIA has conducted the CBECS periodically since 1979, as required by Congress.

• The 2018 CBECS is the 11th iteration. 

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 3
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Key takeaways from EIA’s 2018 CBECS preliminary building characteristics results

• Growth in building size continues to outpace increases in building stock; since 2012, the number of buildings has grown by 6% and floorspace

by 11%.

• Most buildings are small, but large buildings account for more total floorspace.

• Warehouse and storage, office, and service buildings are the most common building types.

• Building types with the largest percentage increase in the number of buildings since 2012 were service, public assembly, and lodging.

• Based on average square footage, lodging buildings are the largest building type, and buildings used primarily for food service are the 

smallest.

• More than half of U.S. commercial buildings were built between 1960 and 1999; 25% have been built since 2000.

• Newer buildings are larger, on average, than older commercial buildings.

• Shares of commercial buildings, commercial floorspace, and the U.S. population are highest in the South.

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 4
U.S. Energy Information Administration #CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 5

Table of contents Slide number

Buildings and floorspace 6

Principal building activity 9

Year of construction 13

Regional estimates 17

References and additional information 20
Buildings and floorspace

The CBECS includes buildings larger than 1,000 square feet that use more than half of their 

floorspace for activities that are neither residential, manufacturing, industrial, nor agricultural.
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Growth in building size outpaces increases in building stock 

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 7

Number of commercial buildings and floorspace

number of buildings (millions) and billion square feet

• The CBECS estimates that the total number of buildings 

increased 6% from 2012 to 2018, and total floorspace

increased 11%.

• From the first CBECS we conducted in 1979 to the 2018 

CBECS, the number of buildings has increased from 3.8 

million to 5.9 million (55%), and the amount of 

commercial floorspace has increased from 51 billion 

square feet to 97 billion square feet (90%).

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1979 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1999 2003 2012 2018

million buildings billion square feet

Number of commercial buildings

Total commercial floorspace

number of buildings (millions)
U.S. Energy Information Administration

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Over 500,000

200,001 to 500,000

100,001 to 200,000

50,001 to 100,000

25,001 to 50,000

10,001 to 25,000

5,001 to 10,000

1,001 to 5,000

Most buildings are small, but large buildings dominate total floorspace

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 8

Total commercial buildings and floorspace by square footage category

percentage

percentage of total commercial buildings

percentage of total commercial floorspace

• The smallest buildings (1,001 square feet (sf) to 

5,000 sf) account for almost half of all 

commercial buildings, but occupy only 8% of 

total commercial floorspace. 

• Nearly three-fourths (71%) of buildings are 

10,000 sf or smaller.

• Buildings larger than 100,000 sf account for less 

than 3% of commercial buildings but 34% of 

commercial floorspace.

• The median building size is 5,400 sf; the average 

is 16,400 sf.
Principal building activity

• Education

• Food sales

• Food service

• Health care

• Lodging

• Mercantile

• Office

• Public assembly

• Public order and safety

• Religious worship

• Service

• Warehouse and storage

• Other

• Vacant

The principal building activity is the activity or function that occupies the most floorspace in a 

building. EIA designed the following principal building activity categories to group buildings 

that have similar patterns of energy consumption:

Visit Building Type Definitions on the CBECS web page to learn more about these building 

type definitions.
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Warehouse and storage, office, and service buildings are the most common building types

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 10

5.9 million

number of buildings

warehouse and 

storage, 17%

office, 16%

service, 15%

mercantile, 9%

public assembly, 8% 

religious worship, 7% 

education, 7% 

food service, 5% 

all other buildings, 15%

lodging 

health care

food sales 

public order and safety 

vacant 

other

Percentage of commercial buildings and floorspace by principal building activity

97.0 billion 

total floorspace

in square feet

all other buildings, 12%

lodging, 7% 

health care

food service

food sales 

public order and safety 

vacant 

other

warehouse and 

storage, 18%

office, 17%

service, 7%

mercantile, 11%

public assembly, 8% 

religious worship, 6% 

education, 14% 

• Warehouse and storage, office, and service buildings together account for 48% of all commercial buildings and 42% of total 

commercial building floorspace.

• Although service buildings are the third most common, these buildings only occupy 7% of total floorspace.

• Education buildings account for 7% of all buildings, but they occupy 14% of total floorspace.

• Although food service buildings account for 5% of all commercial buildings, they occupy only 1% of total floorspace. Lodging 

buildings account for 4% of commercial buildings, but occupy 7% of total floorspace.
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Many principal building activities saw an increase in the number of buildings from 2012 to 2018

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 11

Number of commercial buildings by principal building activity

thousands

• The largest percentage increases in the 

number of buildings were for service 

(40%), public assembly (39%), lodging 

(35%), and warehouse and storage 

(26%).

• The largest percentage decreases in the 

number of buildings were for vacant 

(29%) and food service (25%).

* Change is statistically significant at the 90% confidence level.

** Change is statistically significant at the 90% and 95% confidence levels.

2012 2018

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200

warehouse and storage*

office

service**

mercantile

public assembly**

religious worship

education

food service**

lodging**

vacant*

food sales

health care

other

public order and safety
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Buildings used for lodging are the largest, and buildings used primarily for food service are the smallest

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 12

Average floorspace by principal building activity

square feet per building

• On average, among the principal building activities, lodging 

(32,500 square feet (sf)), education (31,200 sf), and health 

care (29,500 sf) are the largest buildings. 

• The size of inpatient health care buildings (hospitals) 

contributes greatly to the health care category’s average 

floorspace. Hospitals average 269,100 sf per building, 

compared with outpatient health care buildings, which 

average 13,600 sf.

• On average, buildings in food service (4,900 sf), food sales 

(6,600 sf), and service categories (7,400 sf) are the smallest. 

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000

food service

food sales

service

vacant

religious worship

public assembly

all buildings

office

warehouse and storage

public order and safety

mercantile

other

health care

education

lodging
Year of construction

The year of construction is the year in which the major part or the largest portion of a building 

was constructed.
U.S. Energy Information Administration

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

More than half of U.S. commercial buildings were built between 1960 and 1999

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• Buildings built between 1960 and 1999 account for 

54% of both number of buildings and of floorspace.

• One-quarter of buildings (25%) were built since 

2000, accounting for 29% of total floorspace.

• Buildings built before 1960 represent 21% of 

buildings but only 17% of total floorspace.

• The median year of construction is 1982.

Share of number of buildings and floorspace by year constructed

percentage of total for all buildings

before 1920

1946–1959

1920–1945

1980–1989

1960–1969

1970–1979

2010–2018

1990–1999

2000–2009

Before 1960 1960 to 1999 2000 to 2018

buildings floorspace buildings floorspace buildings floorspace
U.S. Energy Information Administration

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

Before

1920

1920 to

1945

1946 to

1959

1960 to

1969

1970 to

1979

1980 to

1989

1990 to

1999

2000 to

2009

2010 to

2018

Newer buildings are larger, on average, than older commercial buildings

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 15

Average building size by year of construction

square feet

before 1960

average: 13,300 square feet

1960 to 1999

average: 16,300 square feet

2000 to 2018

average: 19,000 square feet

• Buildings constructed before 1960 are 

smaller than buildings constructed since 

2000—more than 5,000 square feet smaller, 

on average.

• Buildings constructed since 2000 averaged 

19,000 square feet, or 2,600 square feet 

larger than the national average.
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Health care, lodging, and public order and safety buildings are newer than other building types

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 16

Proportion of commercial buildings by year of construction and principal building activity

percentage

• More than one-third of health care, lodging, and public order and safety 

buildings have been constructed since 2000.

• More than 30% of food service, religious worship, and vacant buildings 

were constructed before 1960.

Before 1960 1960 to 1999 2000 to 2018

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

lodging

health care

public order and safety

food service

mercantile

warehouse and storage

food sales

service

public assembly

all buildings

office

other

education

religious worship

vacant
Regional estimates
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Commercial buildings, floorspace, and population are highest in the South

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 18

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Northeast Midwest South West

buildings

floorspace

2018 U.S. population

Commercial buildings, floorspace, and U.S. population by region

percentage

• More than one-third of the U.S. population (38%), buildings 

(36%), and floorspace (36%) are in the South.

• The Midwest is the only region with a smaller share of the total 

U.S. population than buildings. It has the second-highest share 

of buildings (29%) and floorspace (27%) but has the thirdhighest share of the U.S. population (21%).

• The West has nearly one-fourth of the U.S. population (24%) 

and about one-fifth of buildings (21%) and floorspace (20%).

Note: Population estimates are as of July 1, 2018.
U.S. Energy Information Administration

0 5 10 15 20 25

 Pacific

 Mountain

 West South Central

 East South Central

 South Atlantic

 West North Central

 East North Central

 Middle Atlantic

 New England

Commercial buildings are largest in the Middle Atlantic

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 19

• Commercial buildings in the Middle Atlantic Division 

average 23,900 square feet (sf), 46% more than the 

average for all U.S. buildings (16,400 sf). 

• Commercial buildings are the second smallest on 

average (13,900 sf) in New England and bring the 

average building size for the entire Northeast region 

down to 20,400 square feet, which is 24% more than 

the national average floorspace.

• Buildings are smallest, on average, in the West 

North Central (13,800 sf).

• The South Atlantic is the only other census division 

where the average building size is larger than the 

national average at 17,500 sf.

Average square feet per building by census division

thousands

Northeast

average: 20,400 square feet

Midwest

average: 15,200 square feet

South

average: 16,300 square feet

West

average: 15,600 square feet
References and additional information
U.S. Energy Information Administration

U.S. Census Regions and Divisions

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 21
U.S. Energy Information Administration

References

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 22

All graphs are sourced from Form EIA-871A, Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey.

U.S. population estimates are sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program,

based on one-year estimates from the American Community Survey.

Please direct questions about CBECS to Joelle Michaels, Survey Manager, joelle.michaels@eia.gov
U.S. Energy Information Administration

Projected schedule of additional 2018 CBECS data releases

Building characteristics detailed tables and public use microdata | Spring/Summer 2021

Consumption and expenditures preliminary estimates | Spring 2022

Consumption and expenditures detailed tables and microdata | Spring/Summer 2022

#CBECS2018 | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial 23
U.S. Energy Information Administration

For more information

U.S. Energy Information Administration homepage | www.eia.gov

Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey | www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial

Consumption and Efficiency | https://www.eia.gov/consumption

Today in Energy | www.eia.gov/todayinenergy

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