Gathering Input for the 2025 AHS

This year marks not only 50 years of HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) but also 50 years of the American Housing Survey (AHS) (See: “The History of the AHS – 1973 – 2023”). While the U.S. Census Bureau is in the field collecting responses to the 2023 AHS, HUD and Census are starting to generate ideas for the sample and content of the 2025 AHS. The process involves gathering input from HUD staff, AHS data users, and external stakeholders. The goal of collecting this input is to ensure that AHS data are as useful as possible for HUD policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, and the public. We are specifically soliciting input on two key features of the AHS: oversamples and topical modules.

Census will draw a new sample for the 2025 AHS. In keeping with the 2015 AHS redesign, we are planning to continue using an integrated national sample for 2025, which includes a representative national sample, representative samples from the top 15 metropolitan areas, and an oversample of HUD-assisted units. We are also making decisions on metropolitan areas and states to include in the new sample. If you would like HUD to consider an oversample in another metropolitan area, state, or geographic area, please send your suggestions to ahs2025planning@huduser.gov by September 20, 2023. Note that the current AHS sample design permits the creation of state-level estimates for California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas every 2 years and Colorado, Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia once every 4 years.

We are also gathering input to help HUD prioritize which of the topical modules that have been asked in prior surveys should be included in the 2025 AHS. HUD has included rotating topical modules in every survey since 2011. The report “Topical Module History Report: 2009–2019” contains information on previous topical modules and research using topical module data. In addition to the topical modules discussed in the report, the following topical modules were included in 2021 and 2023:

2021:

• Delinquent Payments and Notices
• Wildfire Risk
• Pets
• Intent to Move
• Expanded Renter Housing Search
• Smoking

2023:

• Housing Insecurity
• Healthy Housing (Health and Safety Characteristics)
• Heat Risk
• Power Outages
• Perceptions of Urbanization
• First-Generation Homeowner
• Parents’ Place of Birth

Please send your ideas on reinstating topical modules used in previous surveys to ahs2025planning@huduser.gov by September 20, 2023. We look forward to your input. HUD will consider it carefully as we balance the need to keep the AHS timely and relevant with the need to reduce respondent burden and manage survey costs.