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Index of Questions

1970 (Housing)

The first 13 questions on the 1970 census housing questionnaire were asked of all households. The rest were asked of either a 5 or 15 percent sample, with some overlap. As with previous housing questionnaires, most questions had only a list of items for the respondent to choose from; these items are listed where relevant. The 1970 census of housing collected the following information, listed by question number:


The following questions were asked of all households

  1. How many living quarters, occupied or vacant, are at this address?
  1. Is there a telephone on which people in your living quarters can be called? If so, what is that number?
  2. Do you enter your living quarters-
    • Directly from the outside or through a common or public hall?
    • Through someone else's living quarters
  3. Do you have complete (a sink with piped water, a range or cook stove, and a refrigerator) kitchen facilities?
    • Yes, for this household only
    • Yes, but also used by another household
    • No complete kitchen for this household
  4. How many rooms do you have in your living quarters, not counting bathrooms?
  5. Is there hot and cold piped water in this building?
    • Yes, hot and cold piped water in this building
    • No, only cold piped water in this building
    • No piped water in this building
  6. Do you have a flush toilet?
    • Yes, for this household only
    • Yes, but also used by another household
    • No flush toilet for this household
  7. Do you have a bathtub or shower?
    • Yes, for this household only
    • Yes, but also used by another household
    • No bathtub or shower
  8. Is there a basement in this building?
    • Yes
    • No, built on a concrete slab
    • No, built in another way (Including mobile homes and trailers)
  9. Are your living quarters-
    • Owned or being bought by you or someone else in this household?
    • A cooperative or condominium which is owned or bought by you or someone else in this household?
    • Rented for cash rent
    • Occupied without the payment of cash rent
    1. Is this building a one family house?
      • Yes
      • No, a building for 2 or more families or a mobile home or trailer
    2. If yes, is this house on a place of 10 acres or more, or is any part of this property used as a commercial establishment or office?
  10. If you live in a one family house which you own or are buying- What is the value of this property? That is, how much do you think this property (house and lot) would sell for if it were for sale?
  11. If you pay rent...
    1. What is the monthly rent?
    2. If rent is not paid by the month, what is the rent and what period of time does it cover?

The following questions were asked of a sample of respondents

  1. If paying rent, in addition to the rent you listed in question 12, do you also pay for...
    1. Electricity?
      • Yes, the average monthly cost is...
      • No, included in the rent
      • No, electricity is not used
    2. Gas?
      • Yes, the average monthly cost is...
      • No, included in the rent
      • No, gas is not used
    3. Water?
      • Yes, the average monthly cost is...
      • No, included in the rent
      • No, water is not used
    4. Oil, coal, kerosene, wood, etc?
      • Yes, the average monthly cost is...
      • No, included in the rent
      • No, these fuels not used
  2. How are your living quarters heated?
    • Steam or hot water system
    • Central warm air furnace with ducts to individual rooms, or central heat pump
    • Built-in electric units
    • Floor, wall, or pipeless furnace
    • Room heaters with flue or vent, burning gas, oil or kerosene
    • Room heaters without flue or vent, burning gas, oil or kerosene
    • Fireplaces, stoves, or portable room heaters of any kind
    • Other
    • None, unit has no heating equipment
  3. About when was this building originally built?
  4. Which best describes this building?
    • A one-family house detached from any other house
    • A one-family house attached to one or more houses
    • A building for 2 families
    • A building for 3 or 4 families
    • A building for 5 to 9 families
    • A building for 10 to 19 families
    • A building for 20 to 49 families
    • A building for 50 or more families
    • A mobile home or trailer
    • Other
  5. Is this building...
    • On a city or suburban lot
    • On a place of less than 10 acres
    • On a place of 10 acres or more
  6. Last year, how much did sales of crops and livestock and other farm products amount to?
  7. Do you get water from-
    • A public system
    • An individual well
    • Some other source
  8. Is the building connected to a public sewer?
    • Yes, connected to a public sewer
    • No, connected to a septic tank or cesspool
    • No, use other means
  9. How many bathrooms (partial and complete) do you have?
  10. Do you have air conditioning?
    • yes, 1 individual room unit
    • yes, 2 or more individual room units
    • Yes, a central air-conditioning system
    • No
  11. How many passenger automobiles are owned or regularly used by members of your household?
    • None
    • 1 automobile
    • 2 automobiles
    • 3 automobiles or more
    1. How many stories (floors) in this building?
    2. If more than four stories, does the building have an elevator?
    1. Which fuel is used for cooking?
      • Gas from underground pipes serving the neighborhood
      • Gas from bottles, tank, or LP
      • Electricity
      • Fuel, kerosene, etc.
      • Coal or coke
      • Wood
      • Other fuel
      • No fuel used
    2. Which fuel is used most for house heating?
      • Gas from underground pipes serving the neighborhood
      • Gas from bottles, tank, or LP
      • Electricity
      • Fuel, kerosene, etc.
      • Coal or coke
      • Wood
      • Other fuel
      • No fuel used
    3. Which fuel is used most for water heating?
      • Gas from underground pipes serving the neighborhood
      • Gas from bottles, tank, or LP
      • Electricity
      • Fuel, kerosene, etc.
      • Coal or coke
      • Wood
      • Other fuel
      • No fuel used
  12. How many bedrooms do you have?
    1. Do you have a clothes washing machine?
      • Yes, automatic or semi-automatic
      • Yes, wringer or separate spinner
      • No
    2. Do you have a clothes dryer?
      • Yes, electrically heated
      • Yes, gas heated
      • No
    3. Do you have a dishwasher?
    4. Do you have a home food freezer which is separate from your refrigerator?
    1. Do you have a television set?
      • Yes, one set
      • Yes, two or mores sets
      • No
    2. If yes- is any set equipped to receive UHF broadcasts, that is, channels 14 through 83?
  13. Do you have a battery-operated radio?
  14. Do you (or any member of your family) own a second home or other living quarters which you occupy sometime during the year?

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Census History Staff | Last Revised: December 14, 2023