California has struggled to keep up with housing demand, increasing stock by only 0.84% in 2024, or 125,000 units. ADUs made up about one-fifth of that, according to California Department of Finance data.

But ADUs are different from building new apartments and homes. At least some ADU owners do not put their units on the market, using them instead for their own families or leaving them vacant.

With California facing a critical housing shortage, accessory dwelling units now account for a significant portion of the state’s meager growth in new homes, data reviewed by The Times show.

California has struggled to keep up with demand, increasing housing stock by only 0.84% in 2024, or 125,000 units. ADUs made up about one-fifth of those units, according to California Department of Finance

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