An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know
(cid:0)
BACK TO TOPICS PAGE [/ACS/WWW/ABOUT/WHY-WE-ASK-EACH-QUES…
We ask questions about the units in the structure, number of
rooms, and number of bedrooms to create data about housing
types and housing density.
Local, state, tribal, and federal agencies use these data in
government programs to analyze whether adequate housing is
available and affordable for residents, and to provide and fund
housing assistance programs. The number of rooms in
combination with the number of people living in a unit provides
a ratio of people to rooms, which can be used to measure the
extent of overcrowding in our nation's households. These
statistics also help enforce laws, policies, and regulations
against discrimination in government programs and in society.
Your privacy concerns
We use your confidential survey answers to create statistics like those in the results below and in the full tables that contain all th
data—no one is able to figure out your survey answers from the statistics we produce. The Census Bureau is legally bound to
strict confidentiality requirements. Individual records are not shared with anyone, including federal agencies and law enforcemen
entities. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents' answers with anyone, including companies, other federal agenci
and law enforcement.
Questions as they appear on the form
We ask two questions about the units in the structure, number of rooms, and number of
bedrooms to produce statistics about housing types and housing density.
(cid:0)
VIEW QUESTIONS
Results from these questions
We compile the results from these questions to provide communities with important statistics for infrastructure development and
emergency planning. You can see some of these published statistics here for the nation, states, and your community.
United States
Housing Units that are Detached Single-Family Houses
61.4 percent [https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP04]
Source: Latest ACS 5-Year Estimates
Data Profiles/Housing Characteristics [https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP04]
Median Number of Rooms in a Housing Unit
5.5 [https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP04]
Source: Latest ACS 5-Year Estimates
Data Profiles/Housing Characteristics [https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP04]
Housing Units with 1 Bedroom
10.9 percent [https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP04]
Is this page helpful?
✕
Yes
No
Source: Latest ACS 5-Year Estimates
Data Profiles/Housing Characteristics [https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP04]
Units in structure, rooms, and bedrooms data help communities:
Provide Adequate Housing
We ask about different types of housing, and how many people occupy that housing, to help communities understand whether
available housing meets the needs of residents. For example, these data help measure overcrowding in communities and are
integral components to set Fair Market Rents for all areas of the country.
When housing is not sufficient, data can help communities:
Enroll eligible households in programs designed to assist them (such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program).
Qualify for grants from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Emergency Solutions
Grants (ESG), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), and other programs.
These data provide benchmark statistics that measure progress toward the Congressional declaration of goals for a national
housing policy--a decent home and suitable living environment for every American family.
Plan Community Development
These data are used to identify adequate housing and may be useful in identifying types of structures in disaster-prone areas
during emergency planning and preparation.
History of units in structure, rooms, and bedrooms questions
Units in structure and rooms originated with the 1940 Census, while bedrooms originated with the 1960 Census. They were
transferred to the ACS in 2005 when it replaced the decennial census long form.
[https://acsdatacommunity.prb.org/]
Is this page helpful?
✕
Yes
No