This Web site sketches a picture of nearly five million subsidized households across the United
States. It includes: (1) Totals; (2) Indian Housing; (3) Public Housing; (4) Section 8
Certificates and Vouchers; (5) Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation; (6) Section 8 New and
Substantial Rehabilitation; (7) Section 236; (8) Other HUD subsidies; and (9) Low Income
Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Each line of data is identified by these key numbers, 1-9, in the
second position of each data record.
1997 Data are available for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. To view or download data for a particular
State, please select from either the map (state abbreviation) or the appropriate letter
below.
The files use June 1997 through July 1997 data on the types of households in
subsidized housing programs. The Census Tract Summary (Neighborhood) files show census
tract data as of 1990. This is a working document and will be corrected as new information is received. We have tried to minimize errors, but the data come from so many different sources that errors undoubtedly remain. The material was compiled by Paul Burke 202-708-1060 x5888, who will appreciate comments and corrections.
Highlights
The database is valuable source of information about HUD subsidies. Some highlights of the data
are:
The report covers nearly five million subsidized housing units, with 11 million people.
Data on the occupants are missing on 20% of these units. Data on location are missing on 14%
of units.
A quarter of households are wage earners and a fifth are welfare recipients. The average
income of subsidized households is $9,200 per year, and 95% have incomes below $20,000. Most
projects have a moderate income mix.
A third of households are elderly. Over half are minorities. Just under half include a
single adult with children.
Subsidized households have been in their subsidy program for 6 years on average, and
recent arrivals averaged nearly two years on the waiting list.
The average subsidized unit is in a neighborhood where one-eighth of the neighborhood are
subsidized, one quarter are poor, and half are minority.
Six-sevenths of people in the United States have one or more subsidized housing units in
their neighborhood.
Most projects and housing agencies are small, but most subsidized units are in the large
projects and agencies.
Differences from the 1996 File
More recent tenant data (9 months newer for some
programs, 21 months newer for others)
More addresses and geographic codes
Three new items; averages of: HUD spending per unit, household income as
percent of local median, number of months since tenant data were collected
(three others were omitted to make room: % under $10,000 income, % age 25-44, %
age 45-61). One changed item: length of stay is now in months, not years.
Households which have used portability to move, are now counted under the agency that pays their subsidy, not the place they moved to
More recent counts of available units in Public & Indian Housing, Certificates, Vouchers, and Moderate Rehabilitation
Fewer totals of housing agencies that have multiple numeric codes, and no subtotals of such agencies (see page 6)
More detailed weighting for missing data: in each project as well as each agency
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