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Total Housing Units

Variable Definitions:
Total Housing Units: The total number of houses, apartments, mobile homes, and other living quarters that are intended for occupancy as well as tents, vans and other structures being used as a primary place of residence

Source:
American Community Survey, 5-year estimates, Table B25001

Years Available:

2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

*Note: Each year of available data shown above is a 5-year estimate, or an average of data collected over a five year period. 5-year estimates are used to increase the reliability of the data at small geographies like neighborhoods and census tracts. The years shown on the NDSC map represent the final year of the five year average (e.g. “2010” represents 2006-2010 data, “2011” represents 2007-2011 data, and so on). For the most impactful comparison of data over time, the ACS recommends comparing non-overlapping years (e.g. 2010-14 with 2015-19).

Why are these variables important to measure?

Total Housing Units
The American Community Survey defines a housing unit as a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms or a single room that is occupied (or, if vacant, intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Boats, recreational vehicles (RVs), vans, tents, and railroad cars are included only if they are occupied as someone’s current place of residence. 

The number of housing units available in a given area provides insight about the area’s characteristics and development opportunities. A high number of units indicates a densely populated neighborhood with a demand for schools, retail, transit, and traffic solutions. Areas with lower numbers of units could be neighborhoods consisting of primarily commercial buildings, suburban areas where housing units are relatively more spread out, or blighted neighborhoods that require development and investment. 

Citation:
American Community Survey. 2017 Subject Definitions. Link

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