What Is a Housing Unit?
Let me explain what a housing unit is: it's a single unit within a larger structure that an individual or household can use to eat, sleep, and live. You can find these units in any type of residence, like a house, apartment, or mobile home, and it might even be a single unit in a group of rooms.
Essentially, you should think of a housing unit as a separate living quarter where the occupants live and eat separately from other residents of the structure or building. They have direct access from the building's exterior or through a common hallway.
Key Takeaways
Here's what you need to know: a housing unit is one unit within a larger structure, such as a house, apartment, mobile home, or group of rooms, where a person or family eats, lives, and sleeps. These units are separate living quarters where the occupants live separately from other residents of the structure. Also, residential construction is the largest component of change in housing units.
Understanding Housing Units
Housing units are residential units you find in different types of structures, including single-family homes, apartments, and condominium buildings. They may also be multiple rooms in a large structure such as a hotel or motel. These units allow an individual or family to live, eat, and sleep separately from others—which is why they're referred to as separate living quarters.
Residential construction, both permitted and non-permitted, is the largest component of change in housing units. More than 99% of all new housing units are built in places that issue building permits, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Certain living quarters are generally not considered housing units and are not included in Census Bureau data. These include dormitories, bunkhouses, and barracks; transient hotels and motels—except for those people who consider it their place of residence; and quarters in institutions, general hospitals, and military installations—though there are exceptions including units occupied by staff members or resident employees.
Recording Housing Units
Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau provides housing unit estimates for all counties and states. These estimates are used as controls for tracking population growth or loss for cities and towns.
The estimates start with the most recent census data, then add in the estimated amount of new residential construction and mobile homes. Next, the estimated housing units lost are subtracted to arrive at the annual estimate figure.
Fast Fact
There were 143.8 million housing units in the U.S. in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Housing Unit Losses
There are three types of situations that determine the loss of a housing unit: an interior exposed to the elements, a demolished unit, or a home—house or mobile—that's moved.
The loss rate of homes in certain states is accelerating due to natural disasters. For example, California’s Butte County, the site of the Camp Fire wildfire in 2018, saw a 13.9% decline in housing units—from 100,074 to 86,209—between 2018 and 2019.
Examples of Housing Units
As I noted earlier, there are many different types of housing units. For instance, single-family homes can be converted into multiple units. Consider this example: a homeowner may decide to renovate their basement to accommodate a secondary suite. Once complete, the owner may rent out the unit to another individual or family, or offer it to members of their family. This dwelling becomes a separate housing unit.
Similarly, a developer may seek permits to construct an apartment complex on an empty piece of land. The apartments that are constructed are counted as separate housing units.
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