[hwbehrens]

It varies between regions, but in general, building with wood is significantly faster and less expensive than using concrete. They are also easier to remodel, extend, and ultimately demolish, but these are secondary reasons.

Some areas, such as regions of Florida or Arizona for example, have substantial historical housing stock made from concrete. However, the majority of new construction is wood for the reasons stated above.

There are not (to my knowledge) any building codes that prohibit concrete construction for residential.

[gresrun]

At least in FL, slab-on-grade with concrete block for the first story + wood frame for additional stories is incredibly common because it is far less susceptible to termite & moisture rot damage than slab + wood frame or wooden pier + beam.