Components of Inventory Change: 2011-2013

May 31, 2016  

American Housing Survey, Components of Inventory Change: 2011-2013

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research has released its Components of Inventory Change (CINCH) report that measures changes in the characteristics of the housing stock in the United States. The report compares the characteristics of individual housing units across time and is based on data collected every two years for the national American Housing Survey (AHS). CINCH data reveal important drivers of housing stock change beyond the construction and demolition of units.

The current report presents data based on the AHS from 2011 and 2013. It identifies and measures mechanisms through which housing units were lost and added over this period and compares it to the five preceding 2-year periods between 2001 and 2011. It examines 123 segments of the housing market, divided by features such as unit size, location, quality, and resident characteristics; shows changes that occurred in each segment from 2011 to 2013; and identifies those segments that experienced unusually large losses or additions.

Key Findings

• A total of 1,567,000 housing units left the housing stock while 1,837,000 units were added between 2011 and 2013.

• The net growth in housing stock between 2011 and 2013 was substantially smaller than the growth recorded during any of the previous five survey periods.

• Despite the gradually improving economy, there were large declines in both new construction and net additions to the housing stock during the 2011-2013 period compared to the 2007-2009 period.

• The 2011 occupied housing stock declined 0.6 percent by 2013, significantly lower than the 1.2 percent decline in the overall housing stock. Occupied units with African-American householders in 2011 had a higher-than-average loss rate while those with Asian-American householders had a lower-than average loss rate.

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