Our Nation contains a diverse collection of housing. There is variety not only in the different types of structures, but also in the composition of the householdsthe people living in the units and their attributes. This report illustrates some of the demographic, economic, and physical housing characteristics of the 1991 national housing stock and its occupants. In the analysis and accompanying tables and charts, we summarize important similarities and differences evident in the Nation's housing among various age, race, and ethnic groups. The data are also presented separately by tenure since the housing conditions of owners and renters in America are often very different.

The report is based on data collected from the American Housing Survey (AHS) for the United States in 1991. The Bureau of the Census conducts this biennial national sample survey of approximately 50,000 housing units in the United States for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The interviews are conducted from July through December of the survey year. The first AHS Survey was in 1973 and was called the Annual Housing Survey. After 1983, its name was changed to the American Housing Survey and it has since been conducted every other year in odd numbered years. See Current Housing Reports, H150/91 for crosstabulations of the extensive data collected from the AHS.

This report is part of the collection of scanned historical documents available to the public.