---
title: "Page Weight Growth 2026: Same Sites 11.2% Heavier"
url: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/page-weight-growth
description: "Across 423,847 top 1M homepages, median per-site growth was 11.2% from Sept 2024 to Sept 2026, JavaScript grew 21.2% and Shopify stores got 41.7% heavier."
lang: en
---
Data Study ยท Website Maintenance
# Page Weight Growth 2026: Same Sites 11.2% Heavier
Across 423,847 top 1M sites crawled in both Sept 2024 and Sept 2026, the median homepage grew 11.2% (2,639 KB to 3,062 KB), and 40.1% grew by more than a quarter.
- 423,847 top 1M sites
- HTTP Archive, Sept 2026
Matt Suffoletto: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/author/matt-suffoletto
Founder, PageSpeed Matters Published Oct. 19, 2026 6 min read
## Key Findings
1. Across 423,847 top 1M homepages crawled in both Sept 2024 and Sept 2026, median per-site growth was **11.2%**, the median homepage went from 2,639 KB to 3,062 KB and **40.1%** grew by more than a quarter. Copy stat
2. JavaScript drives the growth: median per-site JavaScript growth was **21.2%** and median homepage JavaScript rose from 803 KB to 977 KB, while the median site's image bytes did not change (**0.0%**) and the median image payload moved only from 828 KB to 867 KB. Copy stat
3. Growth is not universal: **36.1%** of the paired homepages got lighter, while **17.0%** more than doubled in weight. Copy stat
4. Shopify homepages grew fastest: the median store got **41.7%** heavier (4,191 KB to 5,969 KB, 23,510 stores), its median JavaScript went from 1,918 KB to 3,209 KB, and 60.2% of stores grew by more than a quarter. Copy stat
5. WordPress homepages grew close to the overall rate, **10.4%** at the median (3,151 KB to 3,531 KB, 68,016 sites), against 12.9% for Webflow (1,434 sites), 6.8% for Wix (329) and 2.3% for Squarespace (268). Copy stat
6. The most popular sites grew more: median per-site growth was **15.9%** for 5,680 Top 10K sites, 13.6% for 46,377 Top 100K sites and **10.9%** for 371,790 sites in the rest of the top 1M. Copy stat
Median per-site homepage weight growth by platform, Sept 2024 to Sept 2026
Shopify 41.7%
Webflow 12.9%
WordPress 10.4%
Other or custom 10%
Wix 6.8%
Squarespace 2.3%
Source: PageSpeed Matters. HTTP Archive top 1M crawls, Sept 2024 and Sept 2026, same homepages.
Wix and Squarespace samples are small (329 and 268 sites).
In this study
## Homepage weight change Sept 2024 to Sept 2026 by platform (same sites, top 1M)
| Platform | Median 2024 | Median 2026 | Median per-site growth | Median JS growth | Grew more than 25% | Got lighter | Sites |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Shopify | 4,191 KB | 5,969 KB | 41.7% | 63.3% | 60.2% | 25.7% | 23,510 |
| Webflow | 3,417 KB | 3,711 KB | 12.9% | 31.4% | 42.0% | 39.9% | 1,434 |
| WordPress | 3,151 KB | 3,531 KB | 10.4% | 17.0% | 40.5% | 41.2% | 68,016 |
| Wix | 3,279 KB | 3,498 KB | 6.8% | 13.8% | 33.7% | 44.1% | 329 |
| Squarespace | 4,854 KB | 5,026 KB | 2.3% | 10.3% | 31.7% | 46.3% | 268 |
| Other or custom | 2,387 KB | 2,740 KB | 10.0% | 19.0% | 38.6% | 35.7% | 330,290 |
| All sites | 2,639 KB | 3,062 KB | 11.2% | 21.2% | 40.1% | 36.1% | 423,847 |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026. Same homepages in both crawls; medians are approximate and redesigns are included.
## Summary
Most page weight studies compare this year's web with last year's, which mixes in sites that launched or shut down along the way. We tracked the same homepages instead, to see how much a typical site gains when it is simply kept running for two years.
Across 423,847 top 1M sites crawled in both Sept 2024 and Sept 2026, the median site's homepage grew 11.2%, and the median homepage weight went from 2,639 KB to 3,062 KB. 40.1% grew by more than a quarter. JavaScript, not images, accounts for most of the growth, and Shopify stores gained the most.
## What we measured
We used HTTP Archive's monthly crawls of the top 1M sites for September 2024 and September 2026 and kept the 423,847 homepages present in both. For each site we compared total bytes and JavaScript bytes between the two crawls, then took the median of the per-site change. We also report the median homepage weight in each year.
Three limits apply. Only homepages are covered. Redesigns are included, so some of the change comes from sites that were rebuilt rather than slowly added to. And the medians are approximate, so treat small differences with care.
## The typical site's homepage got 11.2% heavier
Across the 423,847 paired homepages, median per-site growth was 11.2%. The median homepage went from 2,639 KB in Sept 2024 to 3,062 KB in Sept 2026, and 40.1% of sites grew by more than a quarter.
Growth is not universal. 36.1% of the paired homepages got lighter over the two years, likely through image cleanup, removed tags or a leaner redesign. At the other end, 17.0% more than doubled in weight. The typical site drifts up, but a sizable minority moves sharply in one direction or the other.
11.2%
Median per-site homepage weight growth for 423,847 top 1M sites between Sept 2024 and Sept 2026.
## JavaScript drives the growth, not images
Median per-site JavaScript growth was 21.2%, almost twice the rate of total page weight. Median homepage JavaScript rose from 803 KB to 977 KB.
Images barely moved. The median site's image bytes did not change (0.0%), and the median image payload went only from 828 KB to 867 KB. Image optimization built into platforms and plugins may help keep image weight in check, while each new tag, widget, app and feature tends to add script.
JavaScript also costs more than its byte count suggests: the browser has to download, parse and run it, which affects how fast pages load and respond to taps.
## Shopify homepages grew fastest
The median Shopify store got 41.7% heavier, going from 4,191 KB to 5,969 KB across 23,510 stores. Its median JavaScript went from 1,918 KB to 3,209 KB, and 60.2% of stores grew by more than a quarter. Stores typically add apps over time for reviews, upsells, loyalty and tracking, and each one usually brings its own scripts.
WordPress homepages grew close to the overall rate, 10.4% at the median (3,151 KB to 3,531 KB, 68,016 sites). Webflow grew 12.9% (1,434 sites), Wix 6.8% (329) and Squarespace 2.3% (268). The Wix and Squarespace samples are small, so their figures are rough.
## The most popular sites grew more
Median per-site growth was 15.9% for 5,680 Top 10K sites, 13.6% for 46,377 Top 100K sites and 10.9% for 371,790 sites in the rest of the top 1M.
The most visited sites tend to run more experiments, personalization and third-party tools, and they change their homepages more often. That likely explains part of their faster growth, even though they often have more engineering help to keep weight down.
## What this means for your site
Page weight rarely jumps overnight. It creeps up as features, apps and tags are added, so it needs regular checks.
- Track homepage weight and JavaScript weight over time, not just once. A quarterly check is enough to spot drift.
- When you add an app, plugin or tag, remove one you no longer use.
- Look at JavaScript first. Find the scripts that load on every page and ask whether each still earns its place.
- On Shopify, uninstalling an app does not always remove its code from the theme, so check theme files after removing apps.
- Set a page weight or JavaScript budget, and check new features against it before they go live.
## Sources
- HTTP Archive monthly crawls, September 2024 and September 2026, top 1M sites, same homepages
- web.dev, Web Vitals: https://web.dev/articles/vitals
## Embed this research
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Source: Page Weight Growth 2026: Same Sites 11.2% Heavier - PageSpeed Matters
## Frequently asked questions
### How much has page weight grown?
Across 423,847 top 1M homepages tracked from Sept 2024 to Sept 2026, median per-site growth was 11.2%. The median homepage went from 2,639 KB to 3,062 KB.
### What is making web pages heavier?
Mostly JavaScript. Median per-site JavaScript growth was 21.2%, and median homepage JavaScript rose from 803 KB to 977 KB, while the median site's image bytes did not change.
### Which platform's pages grew the most?
Shopify. The median store got 41.7% heavier, from 4,191 KB to 5,969 KB, and its median JavaScript went from 1,918 KB to 3,209 KB. WordPress grew 10.4% at the median.
### Do all websites get heavier over time?
No. 36.1% of the paired homepages got lighter between Sept 2024 and Sept 2026, while 17.0% more than doubled in weight.
Page weight creeps up one feature at a time, and regular audits of scripts and apps keep it from building into a speed problem. Need help with this? See our website maintenance services (https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/services/website-maintenance).
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How we measured
## Methodology & Source
Data source
HTTP Archive monthly crawls of the top 1M sites, same homepages in both crawls
Collection date
September 2026
Sample
423,847 top 1M sites
Release
HTTP Archive, Sept 2026
Same-site paired comparison of total bytes and JavaScript bytes for 423,847 homepages present in both the Sept 2024 and Sept 2026 crawls. Growth figures are medians of per-site change. Homepages only, and redesigns are included. Medians are approximate.
Using this data?
## Cite this study
Link back to the study when you cite it.
APA
Matt Suffoletto. (2026). Page Weight Growth 2026: Same Sites 11.2% Heavier. PageSpeed Matters. https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/page-weight-growth
Plain link
Page Weight Growth 2026: Same Sites 11.2% Heavier - PageSpeed Matters - https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/page-weight-growth
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- Website Maintenance WordPress Plugin Count vs Speed: 9+ Plugins Pass 24%: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/wordpress-plugin-count-vs-speed
- Website Maintenance WordPress Upload Size: Images Doubled in Weight in One Year: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/wordpress-upload-size
- Trends The Average Website Loads 375KB of Third-Party JavaScript: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/third-party-javascript-growth
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