Census Bureau Releases New Report on Aging-Ready Homes

The U.S. Census Bureau has released a new report showing that about 4 million U.S. households with an adult age 65 or older had difficulty living in or using some features of their home.

The report, Aging-Ready Homes in the United States—Perception Versus Reality of Aging-Accessibility Needs: 2019, examines whether U.S. homes are prepared for an aging population.

The report is based on data from the 2019 American Housing Survey.

Highlights of the report include:

• About 50 million or 40% of U.S. homes had what were considered to be the most basic, aging-ready features — a step-free entryway into the home and a bedroom and full bathroom on the first floor.
• New England had the smallest share (19.6%) of aging-ready homes.
• Over half (about 57%) of older households reported their home met their accessibility needs very well.
• Only 6% of older households had plans to renovate their home in the near future to improve accessibility.
• About 4 million or 11% of older households reported difficulty living in or using their home. The share increased to nearly 25% among households with a resident age 85 or older.
• Older households in the South Atlantic division were more likely to report three or more difficulties compared with the national average (6.2% compared with 4.5%). In contrast, older households in New England (2.3%) and the West North Central (1.2%) divisions were less likely than the national average (4.5%) to report three or more difficulties.
• Older households that reported difficulty living in or using their home were more likely than older households in general to rent (30.8% compared with 22.2%), live in an apartment building (24.3% compared with 18.8%), and have an income near or below the poverty level (35% compared with 26.9%).

The AHS is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and conducted by the Census Bureau. The biennial AHS (conducted every two years) is the nation’s most comprehensive housing survey, providing current data on a wide range of housing subjects. Topics unique to the AHS include characteristics and physical condition of the nation’s housing units, indicators of housing and neighborhood quality, and home improvement activities.