United States - Housing Vacancy Survey: Number of Households

For the U.S., the Housing Vacancies and Homeownership dataset (CPS/HVS) provides current information on the rental and homeowner vacancy rates, and characteristics of units available for occupancy. These data are used extensively by public and private sector organizations to evaluate the need for new housing programs and initiatives. In addition, the rental vacancy rate is a component of the index of leading economic indicators and is thereby used by the Federal Government and economic forecasters to gauge the current economic climate.

• Measurements:
  • Thousands of units (Ths. #)
  • Percent (%)
• Adjustment: Not seasonally adjusted (NSA)
• Native frequencies: Monthly, quarterly
• Start date: As early as 1956Q1
• Geo vintage: OMB 23-01
• Geo coverage:
  • Country (IUSA)
  • Census region (4x C^^R)
  • State and DC (51x ^^)
  • Largest MSAs (75x IUSA_M^^^)
• All concept-geo pairs exist: No

Subsets:

• Using census 2010 CBSAs
• Using census 2000 CBSAs
• Using census 1990 metro areas

The HVS is a supplement to the CPS. There are about 72,000 housing units both occupied and vacant contained in the Current Population Survey (CPS) Sample. Of these units, about 61,200 are occupied and are eligible for interview each month. In addition to the 61,200, about 10,800 are visited, but found to be vacant or otherwise not interviewed each month. About half of the 10,800 units are vacant and interviewed for the HVS.

Data from tables 8a, 10a (Quarterly Estimates of the Housing Inventory) and 13a (Monthly estimates) are revised based upon the latest independent housing controls. For example, data prior to 2010Q1 is based on vintage 2010 housing controls. Data from 2010Q1 and on are based on vintage 2017 housing controls. The same general procedure will be followed each year in revising housing inventory estimates with the most up-to-date independent housing estimates available. The rest of the tables contain continuous time series with various housing control vintage years. Housing control vintages change each year in July.

Definitions

Housing Unit

A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a group of rooms, or a single room occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants do not live and eat with other persons in the structure and which have direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall. For vacant units, the criteria of separateness and direct access are applied to the intended occupants whenever possible. If the information cannot be obtained, the criteria are applied to the previous occupants. Tents and boats are excluded if vacant, used for business, or used for extra sleeping space or vacations. Vacant seasonal/migratory mobile homes are included in the count of vacant seasonal/migratory housing units. Living quarters of the following types are excluded from the housing unit inventory: Dormitories, bunkhouses, and barracks; quarters in predominantly transient hotels, motels, and the like, except those occupied by persons who consider the hotel their usual place of residence; quarters in institutions, general hospitals, and military installations except those occupied by staff members or resident employees who have separate living arrangements.

Occupied Housing Units

A housing unit is occupied if a person or group of persons is living in it at the time of the interview or if the occupants are only temporarily absent, as for example, on vacation. The persons living in the unit must consider it their usual place of residence or have no usual place of residence elsewhere. The count of occupied housing units is the same as the count of households.

Householder

The householder refers to the person (or one of the persons) in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented or, if there is no such person, any adult member, excluding roomers, boarders, or paid employees. If the house is jointly owned by a married couple, either the husband or the wife may be listed first, thereby becoming the reference person, or householder, to whom the relationship of the other household members is recorded. One person in each household is designated as the "householder."

Vacant Housing Units

A housing unit is vacant if no one is living in it at the time of the interview, unless its occupants are only temporarily absent. In addition, a vacant unit may be one which is entirely occupied by persons who have a usual residence elsewhere. New units not yet occupied are classified as vacant housing units if construction has reached a point where all exterior windows and doors are installed and final usable floors are in place. Vacant units are excluded if they are exposed to the elements, that is, if the roof, walls, windows, or doors no longer protect the interior from the elements, or if there is positive evidence (such as a sign on the house or block) that the unit is to be demolished or is condemned. Also excluded are quarters being used entirely for nonresidential purposes, such as a store or an office, or quarters used for the storage of business supplies or inventory, machinery, or agricultural products. Vacant sleeping rooms in lodging houses, transient accommodations, barracks, and other quarters not defined as housing units are not included in the statistics in this report. (See section on "Housing Unit.")

Year-round Vacant Units

Beginning in 1990, year-round vacant mobile homes were included as part of the year-round vacant count of housing units. Year-round units are those intended for occupancy at any time of the year, even though they may not be in use the year round. In resort areas, a housing unit which is usually occupied on a year-round basis is considered a year-round unit. As indicated above, year-round units temporarily occupied by persons with usual residence elsewhere are included with year-round vacant units. Year-round vacant units are classified in the following categories:

• Vacant units for rent. This group consists of vacant units offered for rent and those offered both for rent and sale.
• Vacant units for sale only. This group is limited to units for sale only; it excludes units both for rent and sale. If a unit was located in a multi-unit structure which was for sale as an entire structure and if the unit was not for rent, it was reported as "held off market." However, if the individual unit was intended to be occupied by the new owner, it was reported as "for sale."
• Vacant units rented or sold. This group consists of year-round vacant units which have been rented or sold but the new renters or owners have not moved in as of the day of interview.
• Vacant units held off the market. Included in this category are units held for occasional use, temporarily occupied by persons with usual residence elsewere, and vacant for other reasons. These classifications are described below.
• For occasional use. If the vacant unit is not for-rent or for-sale-only but is held for weekends or occasional use thoughout the year, the unit is included in this catagory. Time-shared units are classified in this category if the vacant unit is not for-rent or for-sale-only, but held for use for an individual during the time of interview.

Units Occupied by Persons With Usual Residence Elsewhere

A housing unit which is occupied temporarily by persons who usually live elsewhere is interviewed as a vacant unit provided that a usual place of residence is held for the household which is not offered for rent or for sale. For example, a beach cottage occupied at the time of the interview by a family which has a usual place of residence in the city is included in the count of vacant units. Their house in the city would be reported "occupied" and would be included in the count of occupied units since the occupants are only temporarily absent. Units occupied by persons with usual residence elsewhere (URE) are further classified as seasonal vacant or year round vacant units. Other vacant. Included in this category are year-round units which were vacant for reasons other than those mentioned above: For example, held for occupancy of a caretaker, janitor; held for settlement of an estate, or held for personal reasons of the owner.

Seasonal Vacant Units

Seasonal housing units are those intended for occupancy only during certain seasons of the year and are found primarily in resort areas. Housing units held for occupancy by migratory labor employed in farm work during the crop season are tabulated as seasonal. As of the first quarter 1986 vacant seasonal mobile homes are being counted as a part of the seasonal housing inventory.

Vacancy and Homeownership Rates

In this report several measures are shown for vacant housing units that are on the market for rent or for sale only. Measures are also shown for homeownership rates.

Rental Vacancy Rate

The rental vacancy rate is the proportion of the rental inventory which is vacant for rent.

Rental Vacancy Rates by Selected Characteristics

The rental vacancy rates shown in table 3 are the percent relationship of the vacant year- round units for rent with a specific characteristic (such as 3-room units) to all rental units with that specific characteristic. Excluded from the denominator are year-round units rented but awaiting occupancy.

Rental Vacancy Rates 90% Confidence Intervals

The volatility in the state and MSA data can be attributed to the smaller sample size used in calcuating the data. At the national and regional level, this data is very statistically sound, however this is not the case at the more granular geographies. One can look at the 90% confidence intervals on the metro level data to see the statistical significance is unknown. Thus, one could safely expect 90% of the estimates to be within two standard errors of the mean of all possible sample estimates. However, one cannot claim that the probability is .90 that the true population value falls in a particular interval. In the case of a biased estimator due to nonresponse, undercoverage, or other types of nonsampling error, confidence intervals may not cover the population parameter at the desired 90% rate. In such cases, a standard error estimator may indirectly account for some elements of nonsampling error in addition to sampling error and lead to confidence intervals having greater than the nominal 90% coverage. On the other hand, if the bias is substantial, confidence intervals can have less than the desired coverage.

Homeowner Vacancy Rate

The homeowner vacancy rate is the proportion of the homeowner inventory which is vacant for sale.

Homeownership Rates

The proportion of households that are owners is termed the homeownership rate. It is computed by dividing the number of households that are owners by the total number of households.

Homeownership by Age of Householder

This homeownership rate is calculated by dividing the number of owner household in a particular age group by the total number of occupied households in that age group.

Tenure

A unit is owner occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit, even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for. A cooperative or condominium unit is "owner occupied" only if the owner or co-owner lives in it. All other occupied units are classified as "renter occupied," including units rented for cash rent and those occupied without payment of cash rent.

Number of Rooms

Included in the count of rooms were whole rooms such as living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, finished basements or attics, recreation rooms, permanently enclosed sun porches which are suitable for year-round use, and lodger's rooms. A partially divided room, such as dinette next to a kitchen or living room was counted as a separate room only if there was a partition from floor to ceiling, but was not counted as a room if the partition consisted solely of shelves or cabinets. Not included in the count of rooms were bathrooms, halls, foyers or vestibules, balconies, closets, alcoves, pantries, strip or pullman kitchens, laundry or furnace rooms, unfinished attics or basements, open porches, sun porches not suited for year-round use, unfinished space used for storage, mobile homes or trailers used only as bedrooms, and offices used only by persons not living in the unit. A room used by the occupants of more than one unit was included with the unit from which it could be most easily reached. The median number of rooms is the theoretical value which divides the housing units equally, one-half having more rooms and one-half having fewer rooms than the median. In the computation of the median, a continuous distribution was assumed. For example, when the median was in the three- room group, the lower and upper limits were assumed to be 2.5 and 3.5, respectively. Tenths were used in the computation of the median to permit comparisons.

Number of Bedrooms

Rooms used mainly for sleeping, even if used for other purposes, were counted as bedrooms. Also included in the count of bedrooms were rooms reserved for sleeping, such as guest rooms, even though used infrequently. A room used mainly for other purposes, although also used for sleeping, such as a living room with a hide-away bed, was not counted as a bedroom. A one-room apartment, therefore, was reported as having no bedroom.

Number of Housing Units in Structure

A structure is a separate building which either has open space on all four sides or is separated from other structures by dividing walls that extend from ground to roof. In double houses, row houses, and houses attached to nonresidential structures, each building is a structure if the common wall between them goes from ground to roof. Sheds and private garages which adjoin houses are not counted as separate structures. In apartment developments, each building with open space on all sides is considered a separate structure. The count of housing units in a structure is the total number of units in the structure, both occupied and vacant units. In the tabulations, occupied mobile homes or trailers, tents, and boats are included in the category one housing unit in structure.

The statistics reflect the number of housing units in the structure in which they are located, rather than the number of residential structures. In the quarterly surveys, data were obtained on the number of housing units in the structure, regardless of the type of structures in which the unit was located.

Year Structure Built

"Year structure built" refers to the date the original construction of the structure was completed, and not to any later remodeling, addition, or conversion. The figures on the number of units built during a given period relate to the number of units in existence at the time of interview. For both occupied and vacant mobile homes, "model year" is the year built.

Duration of Vacancy

The length of time a housing unit was vacant was computed from the day the unit became vacant until the day of the interview. The data, therefore, do not provide a direct measure of the total length of time units remain vacant. For newly constructed units, the duration of vacancy represents the time period since the date when the unit was considered a vacant housing unit, that is, when construction had reached the point that all exterior windows and doors were installed and final usable floors were in place. For recently converted or merged units, the length of time is reported from the date the conversion or merger was completed. For units temporarily occupied by persons with a usual residence elsewhere, duration of vacancy is the length of time since the last usual residents moved; if the unit was always occupied by persons with usual residence elsewhere the time is reported from the date the unit was originally ready for occupancy. The time intervals used in the tables represent full months, calculated from a date in the month to the same date the following month. For example, if the unit became vacant on July 29 and was still vacant on the day interviewed, September 20, the time reported would be "1 to 2 months," meaning that the unit had been vacant for more than 1 month but less than 2 months. Or if the unit became vacant on August 25 and was still vacant on September 20, the time reported would be "less than 1 month."

Previous Occupancy

A unit was classified as being "previously occupied" if the unit had ever been occupied or if the unit was occupied by persons with a usual residence elsewhere. If a previously occupied unit had been converted into several housing units, each unit was classified as being previously occupied. Also, housing units that resulted from conversion of nonresidential space or from a merger was reported as being previously occupied. Only vacant newly constructed units were classified as "not previously occupied."

Contract Rent

For renter-occupied units, the contract rent is the monthly rent agreed upon regardless of any furnishings, utilities, or services that may be included. For vacant units, rent is the amount asked for the unit at the time of interview; the amount may differ from the rent contracted for when the unit is occupied. Data for contract rent excludes units for which no cash rent is paid. As in the 1980 census, the statistics are limited to specified rental units. These data exclude rents for renter-occupied and vacant for-rent single-family structures on places of 10 acres or more. The median monthly rent is the rent which divides the series into two equal parts, one-half of the units with rents higher than the median and the other half with rents lower than the median. In the computation of the median, a continuous distribution was assumed, and the limits of the class intervals were assumed to stand at the midpoint of the 1-dollar interval between the end of one of the rent groups and the beginning of the next. For example, the limits of the interval designated $250 to $299 were assumed to be $249.50 and $299.50.

Inclusion of Utilities in Rent

The utilities included in the inquiry were electricity, gas, water, oil, coal, wood, and kerosene, etc. The statistics reflect whether all or some or none of these utilities are provided for in the amount of rent asked at the time of the interview. A unit was classified as having "all utilities included" if the cost of the utilities are included in the rent at no additional cost to the renter or if the utilities would not be used by the renter. A unit was classified as having "some or none included" if all or part of the utilities are to be paid for separately by the renter in addition to the rent asked. Data on the inclusion of utilities are limited to vacant units for which rent is reported. No data on utilities are collected for renter-occupied units.

Value

Value is the respondent's estimate of how much the property would sell for on the current market. For vacant units, value is the sales price asked for the property at the time of the interview and may differ from the price at which the property is sold. The "sales price asked" includes the price of a one-housing-unit structure and the land on which it is located. The "sales price asked" may also include additional structures such as garages, sheds, barns, etc.

In this report, statistics on value for owner-occupied units and vacant for-sale-only units are limited to specified homeowner units which includes all one-housing unit structures located on places of less than 10 acres, without a commercial establishment or medical office on the property and with only one-housing unit on the property. The median value or sales price is the amount which divides the series into two equal parts, one-half of the units with values higher than the median and the other half with values lower than the median. The median was computed on the basis of more detailed tabulation groups than are shown in the tables and was rounded to the nearest hundred dollars.

Income

The total money income of the reference person plus that of all his/her relatives age 15 and over who are currently household members. The following are counted as "Income":

• Wages and Salary (before deductions for withholding taxes, social security, bonds, union dues, etc.) This includes tips, commissions, Armed Forces pay, cash bonuses, etc.
• Net income from a person's own unincorporated businesses - professional practice or farm. The amount reported is equal to the gross receipts of the enterprise minus the business expenses.
• Armed Forces Allowances: All allowances as part of the Armed Forces member's paycheck. This does not include an allowance in the form of free housing or meals.
• Other income payments such as pensions, dividends, interest, unemployment or worker's compensation.

Geographies

Rental and homeowner vacancy rates and homeownership rates are available for the U.S., regions, states, and for the 75 largest Metropolitan Areas. The state and Metropolitan Area data are available annually, while national and regional data are available quarterly.

Homeownership rates are also tabulated by age of householder and by family status for the U.S. and regions. In addition, estimates of the total housing inventory and percent distributions of vacant for-rent and for-sale-only units are available for the U.S. and regions.

In 2015Q1, the CPS/HVS began using the new Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) definitions that were announced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in February 2013, based on the application of the 2010 OMB standards to Census 2010 data. The definitions are available at: http://www.census.gov/population/metro/. Caution should be used when comparing MSA data for 2015 to earlier data.

Geographies that had no definitional change from 2000 to 2010 were spliced to produce one continuous time series starting in 2005 (Ex: MBOS and IUSA_MBOS). Geographies that had counties added or removed remain as two different time series (Ex: MNEY and IUSA_MNEY).

Moody's Analytics supplements

For several concepts (inventory, asking rent, ownership rate, owner and rental vacancy rate) we construct a seasonally adjusted counterpart.

For housing stock, we perform a break adjustment: for occupied and vacant prior to 2000Q2, and for total prior to 2002Q1.

Yes. Each year in July, data from tables 8a, 10a (Quarterly Estimates of the Housing Inventory) and 13a (Monthly estimates) are revised based upon the latest independent housing controls.

The quarterly housing stock (inventory) figures express the average over the quarter, not the value at period-end.

Unoccupied new housing units are classified as vacant if "construction has reached a point where all exterior windows and doors are installed and final usable floors are in place. Vacant units are excluded if they are exposed to the elements, that is, if the roof, walls, windows, or doors no longer protect the interior from the elements."

When the Census Bureau measures living arrangements, "households" and "housing units" relate numerically as follows: In 100-percent tabulations the count of households always equals the count of occupied housing units; but in sample tabulations, the numbers may differ as a result of the weighting process.

Some concept-geo patterns are suppressed by the source to preserve confidentiality.

Definitional breaks

For homeownership rates by race and ethnicity of householder, starting from 2003Q1, "Black" changes from "respondents of any race reporting Black" to "respondents reporting only Black" and the same for Non-Hispanic White.

Further reading

At the source:

• FAQs
• Definitions (pdf)

• Apr 2005 - Initial version.
• Jun 2008 - Addendum of year-round vacancy share by structural typology.
• May 2009 - Addendum.
• Mar 2013 - Addendum of confidence intervals.
• May 2015 - CBSAs advanced to Census 2010.
• Apr 2016 - Addendum of rental vacancy rate SA supplements.
• Feb 2018 - Addendum of ownership rates by age.
• Nov 2018 - Clarification of preliminary vs. revised variants.
• 29 Apr 2026, Phillip Thorne - CBSAs advanced to OMB 23-01: Properties, Moody's Analytics supplements, Definitional breaks.