U.S. Census Bureau
 American Housing Survey (AHS)




American Housing Survey for the United States: 2001


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American Housing Survey 2001 Using 2000 Controls
Table 3-6. Failures in Equipment--Owner Occupied Units
(Numbers in thousands)
Housing unit characteristics
Physical problems
Household characteristics
In MSAs
Urban
Rural
Regions
Total
occupied
units		 New con-
struction
4 years		 Manu-
factured/
mobile
homes		 Severe Moderate Black Hispanic Elderly
(65 years
and over)		 Moved in
past year		 Below
poverty
level		 Total
occupied
units		 Central
cities		 Suburbs Outside
MSAs		 Total Outside
MSAs		 Total Suburbs Outside
MSAs		 Northeast Midwest South West

Total		 71708 4689 5974 940 1996 6286 4684 17385 5685 6667 71708 16703 39157 15848 49077 4792 22631 11329 11056 13007 17821 26651 14230

Water Supply Stoppage

With hot and cold piped water		 71574 4689 5942 806 1996 6264 4666 17335 5680 6605 71574 16681 39110 15784 49042 4792 22533 11295 10991 12982 17807 26575 14210
No stoppage in last 3 months 68487 4482 5539 763 1820 6041 4490 16719 5416 6256 68487 16031 37354 15102 47209 4639 21278 10588 10463 12538 17121 25338 13489
With stoppage in last 3 months 2291 167 349 38 108 137 145 429 209 235 2291 421 1315 555 1257 119 1034 581 436 332 499 888 571
No stoppage lasting 6 hours or more 945 76 137 11 31 33 44 215 77 69 945 147 596 202 583 49 362 209 153 126 209 360 250
1 time lasting 6 hours or more 918 56 132 20 34 58 55 145 94 93 918 198 447 272 452 47 467 223 226 148 211 331 229
2 times 234 22 46 5 10 21 29 42 18 39 234 35 166 34 107 7 127 100 27 34 43 110 48
3 times 62 6 13 0 9 0 7 10 7 7 62 5 43 14 38 5 23 14 9 13 14 30 4
4 times or more 120 7 20 2 24 20 8 17 13 22 120 34 56 30 69 12 51 33 19 11 20 48 41
Number of times not reported 12 0 0 0 0 5 2 0 0 5 12 2 7 2 7 0 5 2 2 0 2 10 0
Stoppage not reported 796 40 54 5 68 86 31 187 56 114 796 229 440 127 576 34 220 125 93 113 186 348 149

Flush Toilet Breakdowns

With one or more flush toilets		 71616 4689 5960 847 1996 6273 4671 17349 5683 6625 71616 16684 39119 15813 49045 4792 22571 11305 11020 12991 17809 26600 14216
With at least one working toilet at all
times in last 3 months		 69488 4593 5792 765 1744 6017 4478 16937 5437 6291 69488 16112 38013 15363 47526 4646 21962 11000 10717 12679 17350 25697 13762
None working some time in last 3 months 1198 58 98 39 179 149 148 177 185 177 1198 307 624 267 865 100 333 166 168 177 240 489 292
No breakdowns lasting 6 hours or more 519 38 44 12 42 68 66 71 87 72 519 144 281 94 373 34 146 86 60 84 84 233 118
1 time lasting 6 hours or more 502 15 33 20 35 64 54 95 75 62 502 128 244 130 376 54 127 51 76 64 119 186 134
2 times 75 2 7 2 5 7 20 0 8 5 75 14 50 11 54 5 21 14 7 17 10 23 26
3 times 40 3 3 2 37 5 5 2 7 12 40 9 15 15 29 5 10 0 10 8 9 21 2
4 times or more 61 0 12 3 58 3 2 7 8 26 61 10 34 17 31 2 29 15 15 5 18 25 13
Number of times not reported 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Breakdowns not reported 929 38 69 43 73 107 44 234 61 157 929 265 482 182 654 47 276 139 135 134 219 414 162

Sewage Disposal Breakdowns

With public sewer		 52060 3111 2662 668 1391 5278 4147 12697 4401 4564 52060 16050 28365 7646 45058 4467 7003 3743 3178 9161 13397 17794 11709
No breakdowns in last 3 months 51291 3090 2616 647 1320 5166 4039 12542 4312 4472 51291 15786 27994 7511 44388 4390 6903 3705 3121 9066 13178 17487 11560
With breakdowns in last 3 months 770 21 46 21 71 112 108 154 89 91 770 264 371 135 670 77 100 38 58 95 219 307 149
No breakdowns lasting 6 hours or more 299 7 16 5 12 54 37 68 35 29 299 99 141 59 264 32 35 5 26 45 96 107 51
1 time lasting 6 hours or more 358 9 29 10 42 44 48 67 46 43 358 123 167 67 301 35 57 25 32 45 89 149 74
2 times 40 0 0 0 5 7 8 7 3 8 40 20 20 0 35 0 5 5 0 3 20 14 2
3 times 25 0 0 0 2 5 8 2 2 2 25 13 12 0 24 0 0 0 0 0 7 5 13
4 times or more 48 5 1 5 9 3 7 9 3 9 48 8 30 9 45 9 3 3 0 1 7 31 8

With septic tank or cesspool		 19603 1578 3303 229 604 1000 532 4662 1281 2079 19603 654 10770 8179 4014 325 15589 7570 7854 3843 4417 8827 2516
No breakdowns in last 3 months 19331 1553 3282 227 582 983 517 4611 1252 2054 19331 642 10637 8052 3954 321 15377 7481 7731 3796 4370 8684 2481
With breakdowns in last 3 months 272 25 22 2 23 16 14 51 29 25 272 12 133 127 60 4 212 89 122 47 47 143 35
No breakdowns lasting 6 hours or more 102 9 4 2 5 7 5 23 12 12 102 7 56 39 29 2 73 37 37 15 16 50 20
1 time lasting 6 hours or more 133 7 18 0 7 7 7 21 7 8 133 2 65 66 20 0 113 48 66 29 23 70 10
2 times 11 5 0 0 0 2 2 3 3 0 11 3 4 5 9 2 2 0 2 0 2 7 2
3 times 3 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 3 0
4 times or more 23 3 0 0 8 0 0 5 5 5 23 0 8 15 3 0 20 5 15 3 5 13 2

Heating Problems

With heating equipment and
occupied last winter		 67953 3837 5553 892 1877 5998 4291 17074 2123 6358 67953 15741 37093 15120 46330 4513 21623 10802 10607 12583 16948 25150 13273
Not uncomfortably cold for 24 hours or
more last winter		 63061 3610 5008 600 1519 5353 3912 16228 1897 5685 63061 14337 34658 14066 43077 4231 19984 9946 9835 11778 15801 23212 12270
Uncomfortably cold for 24 hours or more
last winter@5		 4037 186 480 279 296 549 343 650 168 558 4037 1139 1976 923 2622 241 1415 725 681 679 946 1565 847
Equipment breakdowns 1278 46 137 233 59 199 102 199 47 176 1278 380 634 264 898 76 380 187 187 245 352 415 266
No breakdowns lasting 6 hours
or more		 89 0 3 2 3 10 15 27 5 17 89 34 40 14 72 3 17 5 12 29 15 30 15
1 time lasting 6 hours or more 781 36 81 12 41 133 44 108 30 73 781 230 396 156 538 39 243 124 117 145 232 257 148
2 times 184 2 22 0 16 25 20 31 5 34 184 62 78 44 127 18 57 31 26 20 55 57 52
3 times 91 2 5 91 0 12 5 10 2 9 91 22 46 24 62 10 29 12 14 17 27 29 19
4 times or more 128 5 23 128 0 18 19 21 3 40 128 32 72 23 99 7 29 13 16 32 23 39 33
Number of times not reported 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 5 0 2 2 0 0 5 2 2 2 0 2 0
Other causes 2865 148 360 72 253 366 247 464 121 406 2865 789 1389 686 1786 171 1079 559 516 458 612 1182 612
Utility interruption 1042 55 182 21 37 144 36 186 36 117 1042 220 537 285 531 57 511 279 228 140 177 613 111
Inadequate heating capacity 438 16 41 27 86 64 95 78 27 84 438 158 192 88 307 26 131 69 62 80 98 150 111
Inadequate insulation 404 9 67 26 60 58 48 57 39 65 404 124 173 107 274 36 130 59 71 89 123 106 87
Cost of heating 606 39 49 10 73 54 62 78 21 84 606 170 300 135 436 39 170 74 96 118 129 133 226
Other 631 40 56 14 69 76 57 116 17 108 631 188 286 157 389 41 241 126 115 113 135 243 140
Not reported 37 2 7 0 0 2 6 6 3 5 37 12 19 6 29 5 8 7 1 8 11 11 6
Reason for discomfort not reported 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0
Discomfort not reported 855 41 65 13 62 96 36 197 57 115 855 265 459 132 631 40 224 131 91 126 200 372 156

Electric Fuses and Circuit Breakers

With electrical wiring		 71644 4682 5967 898 1983 6271 4684 17377 5683 6642 71644 16686 39138 15820 49057 4792 22587 11313 11028 13004 17802 26626 14212
No fuses or breakers blown in last
3 months		 62363 4242 5356 751 1589 5451 4141 15822 4918 5957 62363 14332 34008 14023 42440 4257 19923 9940 9766 11148 15277 23515 12423
With fuses or breakers blown in last
3 months		 7812 379 520 124 316 673 473 1162 658 505 7812 1976 4294 1541 5531 459 2280 1170 1082 1609 2158 2529 1515
1 time 4334 221 296 56 149 333 245 794 386 290 4334 1081 2366 887 2995 244 1339 671 643 873 1213 1401 846
2 times 1752 98 116 19 71 185 121 212 138 100 1752 439 992 321 1286 95 467 240 226 386 460 567 339
3 times 648 25 42 19 16 56 39 89 44 43 648 163 350 135 464 46 184 95 90 119 182 221 127
4 times or more 1064 35 66 31 80 94 63 64 91 70 1064 285 582 197 776 74 289 162 123 228 303 330 203
Number of times not reported 13 0 0 0 0 5 5 2 0 3 13 8 5 0 10 0 2 2 0 3 0 10 0
Problem not reported or don't know 1469 61 91 22 78 147 69 392 106 179 1469 378 835 256 1086 76 383 202 180 246 367 582 274
@5Other causes and equipment breakdowns may not add to total as both may be reported.

Go to American Housing Survey for the United States: 2001

Contact the American Housing Survey Branch by email or by phone at 301-763-3235 or 1-888-518-7365, or visit ask.census.gov for further information on American Housing Survey Data.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division
Last Revised: February 18, 2005