Apartment Resident Data

Data on apartment residents are available from various public and private data sources:

The Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancy Survey provides quarterly estimates of renter and owner-occupied households.  The quarterly reports also provide figures on total and owner-occupied housing by region and age of householder.  Annual statistics are available for states and large metropolitan areas.

Basic information on residents and households (renter and owner-occupied) is available from the 2010 Census.  Some detail for renter household specifically is available, such as age of householder and median household income.

The American Community Survey, published annually by the Census Bureau, provides data on the number of apartment residents and households, as well as considerable demographic and economic detailed tables.  The American Community Survey replaces the Census “long form” and contains many tables that were available in previous censuses.  A Public Use Microdata Sample is available for users to create customized tabulations that are not already compiled by the Census Bureau.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau jointly publish the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), which includes data on total renter households and renter household incomes.  A microdata file is also available for customized tabulations.

Detailed tables from the biennial American Housing Survey, published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, provide detailed demographic and housing figures for all households.  Data are also available for select large metropolitan areas; data availability may vary by year.  HUD also publishes microdata, which allows users to create customized tabulations using individual responses from the surveys.

Renting and Owning

Estimates of the national numbers of renter and owner-occupied households are produced quarterly by the Census Bureau. The quarterly reports also provide figures on total and owner occupied housing by region and age of householder. Annual statistics are available for states and large metropolitan areas.

Detailed tables from the biennial American Housing Survey provide detailed demographic and housing figures for all households.

Consumer Spending by Renters

Information on spending by renters is available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tabulations for apartment residents, or for more detailed expenditure categories, can be produced from the raw data files, which are available for purchase from BLS.

NMHC Quick Facts

• Tenure by Age of Population 
• Tenure by Age of Householders 
• What Type of Structure Do Renter Households Live In?
• Apartment Household Incomes
• Characteristics of U.S. Apartment Households
• State Distribution of Apartment Residents 

Special analyses (NMHC Members Only)

• Telecommunications Spending by Apartment Residents
• Apartment Demand and Demographics: How Important Are Echo Boomers?
• Apartment Residents: A Long Look Back
• Disabled Renters: A Case Study Using the American Community Survey
• Doubling Up and Apartment Demand
• Retirees and Apartments
• The Changing Demography of Multifamily Rental Housing
• The Long Term Apartment Residents
• The Residents of Newly Built Apartments
• Who’s Moving Into Apartments?
• Is a Surge in Apartment Demand in the Offing?
• Do Demographic Trends Really Point to Strong Apartment Demand?
• Will Demographic Trends Lead to a Higher Homeownership Rate?
• Renter Affordability and Income
• Burdened Renters: What’s at the Root of the Problem? 

Updated 3/2012