American Housing Survey (AHS)

1. What is the American Housing Survey about?
2. How is this information used?
3. How do I view the publication?
4. How is the survey sample selected?
5. How many housing units are there in the United States?
6. How many owner-occupied units are there in the United States?
7. What is the median value of an owner-occupied home in the United States?
8. What is the median age of owner-occupied units in the United States?
9. How many renter-occupied units are there in the United States?
10. How much does it cost to live in the median rental unit?
11. What proportion of their income do renters spend on their homes?
12. Do all occupied homes have a central heating system?
13. How many occupied homes have central air conditioning?
14. Why doesn’t the AHS match the American Community Survey?
15. Do you forecast housing data?
16. Do you have any information on the luxury home market (e.g., data on homes over one million)?
17. Do you have data on the sales of existing homes?
18. Does the AHS have state or county data?

The American Housing Survey provides up-to-date information on the size and composition of the housing inventory in the United States. As the country grows, so does the demand for housing. There is a great need for information about the types of homes in which people are now living and the characteristics of these homes, as well as the costs of running and maintaining them.

Information from the survey is used at all levels of government to help inform decisions and analyze housing trends. Private organizations use the information to make business plans regarding the nation’s housing and households. The survey is also a rich source of data for academics and other researchers who want to understand the dynamics of housing. Information collected is protected under Title 13, Section 9, United States Code. All Census Bureau employees take an oath not to divulge any personal information collected during this survey. For more information about privacy protection, click on Title 13 - Protection of Confidential Information.

Just click on AHS on AFF or Complete Set of Tables [XLS - 1.3M]

The sample units are chosen by address, not by household. The addresses are randomly chosen throughout the United States. If an occupant moves from a unit, the new occupant or a knowledgeable person in the area will be interviewed. For more detailed information regarding sample selection and weighting, click on Sample Designs [PDF - 41K] .

There were 132,419,000 housing units in the United States in 2011. Approximately 114,907,000 were occupied as regular residences and 17,512,000 were vacant or seasonal.

(Table C-00-AH)

Approximately 76,091,000 or 66.2 percent of the occupied units were owners in 2011.

(Tables C-00-AH & C-01-OO)

In 2011, the median value of owner occupied homes was $160,000.

(Table C-13-OO)

The median owner-occupied home was 35 years old in 2011.

(Table C-01-OO)

In 2011, approximately 38,816,000 units were occupied by renters (or 33.8 percent of all occupied units).

(Table C-00-AH & C-01-RO)

In 2011, the median monthly housing cost (rent, utilities, and garbage and trash collection) for renter occupied homes was $845.

(Table C-10-RO)

The cost of housing was 35 percent of the current income for renter occupied units in 2011.

(Table C-10-RO)

Approximately 99,834,000 homes or 86.9 percent of all occupied homes in the United States had a central heating system in 2011.

(Table C-03-AH)

In 2011, 75,748,000 homes or 65.9 percent of all occupied homes in the United States had central air conditioning; another 22.7 percent had room units.

(Table C-03-AH)

Just click on Comparison of Housing Information from the American Housing Survey and the American Community Survey [PDF]   or see this report comparing the 2007 surveys [PDF - 995K] .

The Census Bureau does not forecast housing or construction data. One source for housing forecasts is the National Association of Home Builders  .

The top home value category the AHS publishes is $750,000 or more. AHS microdata, a.k.a. the Public Use File (PUF), is an alternative source, but home values are topcoded to protect the confidentiality of respondents.

No, we have information on the purchase price of respondent’s home, but the National Association of Realtors   publishes data on existing home sales.

The AHS doesn't provide state data (the sample size is too small to generate reliable state estimates), but we do publish selected metro areas every so often. Depending on the area of interest, the ACS has state and lower level data. Some, but not all, data collected in the AHS is also available in the ACS. If you have any questions about ACS data you can contact the experts at 1-888-456-7215 or mailto:cmo.acs@census.gov.