2023 AHS Summary Table Estimates and Public Use Files Released on Wednesday, September 25, 2024

On Wednesday, September 25, HUD and the Census Bureau released 2023 American Housing Survey (AHS) summary table estimates in the AHS Table Creator (https://www.census.gov/data/data-tools/ahs-table-creator.html) and 2023 National and Metro Public Use File (PUF) microdata (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data/2023/ahs-2023-public-u…).

This is the 50th anniversary of AHS, which began as the Annual Housing Survey in 1973. This release includes national estimates, estimates for 11 states and estimates for 20 metropolitan areas, including the 15 largest metropolitan areas. In addition to the “core” modules, the 2023 AHS included six topical modules: Housing Insecurity, Heat Risk, Power Outages, Health and Safety Characteristics, Perceptions of Urbanization, and First-Generation Homeownership.

Accompanying the release of the summary tables estimates are revised:

• Table Creator Release Notes (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/tech-documentation/user-not…)
• Table Creator Help Guide (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/about/ahstc_tool.html)

Accompanying the release to the 2023 AHS PUF are updates to the AHS web-based Codebook (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/tech-documentation/codebook…).

Additionally, HUD and the Census Bureau have released an updated version of the Sample Case History microdata file (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/tech-documentation/help-gui…). This file details the history of all cases in the AHS national sample and metropolitan area samples from 2015 through 2023.

Technical Documents Released

Also accompanying the releases are eight technical documents (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/tech-documentation/def-erro…) on the 2023 AHS:

• HUD-Assisted Renter Oversample 2015 to 2023
• 2023 AHS Topical Content Variable Reference File
• Getting Started with PUF: 2015 to 2023 Related Information
• 2023 Subject Definitions
• 2023 National Sample Design, Weighting, and Error Estimation
• 2023 Metropolitan Sample Design, Weighting, and Error Estimation
• 2023 Historical Changes
• 2023 Items Booklet (Questionnaire)

Major AHS Help Guides

Also accompanying the releases, the Census Bureau revised and re-released seven AHS Help Guides (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/tech-documentation/help-gui…):

• Metro Area Histories
• Getting Started with the PUF
• Quick Guide to Metro Area Histories
• Geography in the Public Use File
• Dependent Interviewing
• Disclosure Avoidance Techniques
• Item Nonresponse and Imputation

2023 AHS PUF Support Products Released

Accompanying the 2023 AHS PUF release, HUD and the Census Bureau release two products that support AHS PUF users. The 2023 Value Labels Package is a series of SAS^® programs that help assign values to PUF categorical variables. The 2023 Table Specifications and Data User Verification show the code used to create summary table estimates from microdata. AHS users may find it helpful to use the Table Specifications and Data User Verification code to replicate the summary table estimates using the PUF, as well as estimates that cannot be replicated using the PUF.

The AHS team is committed to making it as easy as possible to access and use AHS data. We want to hear from you. If you have questions or suggestions about future infographics we should produce, call us at (800) 245-2691 or email us at helpdesk@huduser.gov. Thank you for your continued interest in the American Housing Survey.