The place you live is more than a place to “hang your hat,” more than four walls and a roof. It is an investment, an expense, a retreat, a responsibility, an expression of yourself, and more. For these and other reasons, analysts in government and business study the nation’s housing very closely.

One way the federal government keeps track of the nation’s housing is through housing questions asked in the decennial census. But the census comes only once in a decade and includes few housing questions. For the years between censuses, the government uses other measures – most notably the American Housing Survey (AHS). The AHS is the largest, regular national housing sample survey in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the AHS to obtain up-to-date housing statistics for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The AHS contains a wealth of information that can be used by professionals in nearly every field for planning, decisionmaking, market research, or various kinds of program development.

If you need housing data, you can not afford to overlook the AHS. This booklet tells you where to find these data.