It's no surprise that beauty, durability and value continue to be an appealing combination. So once again, vinyl siding ranked as the number one choice for exterior cladding on new single-family houses, according to recently published 2008 U.S. Census Bureau data. While vinyl siding held steady from 2007 at 32 percent overall market share, it actually posted gains in three of the four Census regions.

Vinyl siding increased its dominant market share in the Midwest, gaining 3 points to 67 percent.

While down slightly from 2007, vinyl siding continues to hold the lion's share of the market in the Northeast at 78 percent.

In the South — by far the most active region for homes sold — vinyl siding's market share increased 2 points to 28 percent. This gain narrowed the gap with brick, which remained steady in this region's top spot at 42 percent.

In the West, vinyl siding increased share slightly to 7 percent.

"Despite the challenges the housing market faced in 2008, vinyl siding continued to gain market share or stay consistent in nearly all home price segments," said Jery Y. Huntley, president of the Vinyl Siding Institute, Inc. "In fact, we're seeing greater application of vinyl siding on more upscale homes, which we attribute to the cladding's attractiveness, its ability to suit virtually any architectural style, as well as homeowner appreciation of the value that vinyl siding offers."

For example, on homes priced between $250,000 and $299,000, vinyl siding and brick exchanged market share, with vinyl siding gaining 3 points and brick losing 3 points. And on all homes between $250,000 and $750,000, vinyl siding is second only to stucco.

Vinyl siding also remains the number one choice for exterior cladding on new single-family homes sold up to $250,000 — a fact that helped maintain its leading overall position for the market.

New One-Family Houses Sold