Hi Fred - in our area, most single family homes are built on what we call a "raised foundation" since construction was largely in the early to mid parts of the 20th century.  There are examples(many) built post-1950 that are also built utilizing slab foundation techniques

I will leave the pros and cons of different constriction techniques to the experts in those fields where fact is more important(and relevant) than opinion.

Slab most common in California- is cheap BUT slab leaks, cracked slabs and using a jackhammer to access below ....hmmm

Raised with concrete floor allows access through a crawl space (cons critters tend to visit) 

Homes in our area of NH have full basements, it is rare a home is on a slab.

When we built our home 3 years ago we opted to build on a slab so we could limit steps and have most of the living on one floor. We have 3 ways to access our home with no steps and 3 other ways with 1 step. It's a home run for us baby boomers.

We prefer a raised foundations, because it is easier to access the plumbing, etc.  Slab is a pain and often a huge expense, when something goes wrong. A

Any type of foundation, if properly designed and built, will function fine and be long-lasting. The key is to understand the soil and watertable conditions and design accordingly.

One of my favorite designs is a high-ranch. The first floor has a concrete slab poured on a concrete perimeter wall resting on a footing where the bottom of the footing is at the frost-line. The slab is ideal for low-use spaces like home office, man-cave, half-bath, rec room, etc. The second floor is wood construction (decking on floor joists) which is ideal for a living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and a utility room. The wood floor is especially easy on the feet where much time is spent. 

A major challenge with the high-ranch design is storage. There is no cellar or basement to store items. A second challenge is to give it architecural curb appeal since it's essentially a salt-box design that is elevated.

Like the question Fred!    

Slab.

Fred, in Hawaii, if it is a single story, I like post and pier for air circulation.

Most have basements here.

Here in the Phoenix area the concrete slab on grade is the predominant method for building. We do not have to worry about frost or freezing. However, we do have areas that suffer from expansive soil which can wreak havoc with a slab. They solved the problem by going to a "post-tension" slab which allows the slab to float as one peice.

We do have a few builders that have attempted to build homes with basements but they haven't caught on because it is cheaper to build up than down and our property tax rules require basements to be taxed at the same value as living space unlike other areas of the country.

Majority of homes in our area have basements...

It's all about affordability here in the good ole' Midwest. $10K+ for a basement so most people opted for slabs. Not much you can do about it but basements are the craze here. That & brick homes.

It's like a reminant from the Chicago fire. People will pay for brick, brick & more brick before the basement I think.

We have all kinds of foundations and all they have pluses and minuses. But homes under a certain price point are almost all slab these days.

Depends wher you live. In Chicago, a basement is preferred. In Florida, the slab rules!

Many people don't like basements, so they go with Patio homes / slab on grade. I have run into cracked slabs, water infiltration, cold floors, frozen/broken plumbing pipes under the slab. Older people might complain of hard floor being hard on the joints.

 A riased slab can have some of those same problems. Thick padding and carpet is usually the solution many choose to offset the hardness and coldness of concrete. These days some use insulated and/or heated slabs, but many builders don't do those.

Joseph Domino 480-390-6011 nailed this one!

I prefer a crawl space - grade or off-grade, although we have a large number of slab homes in our area and few full-basement homes. The vast majority of the older homes are on a crawl space though.

I would never buy a slab house... we call them slab or crawl space homes here.  I even refused to let my daughter look at them.  I believe it's easier to do plumbing repairs on a home on a crawl space.  I do plan on my next home having a partial basement ... of course a slab, but no living spaces down there, just storage and storm shelter.

Crawl spaces are more common around here, though there are a couple of builders that do slab foundation. I like crawl better, likely because that is what I am used to, but also we have a lot of issues with water in crawl spaces and mold because of it, so...-Kasey

In our area every home no matter the style you need footings

Most homes here are slab and some are pier and beam.  Some buyers prefer pier and beam because it's easier to fix if there's a problem with the foundation. 

Slab is cheaper to fabricate. The downside there is no ventilation of air under the house so far as moisture goes.  The good side coupled with stucco wall there is less likelihood for termite or insect infestications.

Ditto, Ken Jones, ASA, SCGREA Full basement is a must!!!

Slabs are not common or desired in our area.

homes in the northeast have full foundations.... it's tough to sell a slab home in our area....

I love my basement!

Most( not all) residential houses have some kind of raised foundation with a crawl space under. I often watch home inspectors crawl under the house.... Very few houses have some kind of  basement. 

Most of the homes in this area have basements or crawl spaces.

Full basement whenever possible.... that way foundation  stays below frost line.... as it gets cold up here.

Slab is standard out here.  Raised does make for easier changing of pipes though.  Just needs to be secured for an earthquake.

Being in California (Earthquakes) having a raised foundation of any kind with a crawl space leaves room for more foundation issues.  I've seen many pillar posts slipping.  It can be corrected.  

Being on a slab ... when there are underground plumbing issues the repairs are more costly and invasive in the home. Floors inside the home must be torn up and  jack hammer through the foundation to get to the underground plumbing ... versus on a raised foundation those pipes can be accessed via the crawl space. 

We have a mixed bag of both in my market. 

I prefer off-grade and that's what is most common here.

99% of homes in my area have full basements.  We don't have homes built on slabs...

Crawlspace has been accepted for centuries all over the world...However lately I have been seeing slab as the standard

Almost everything is on a slab here in FL.

I agree with Ken.