Are you a researcher struggling to find data on housing issues in the United States? Here are five publicly available datasets that might help you.

1) American Community Survey (ACS)

First, let’s talk about ACS data. The ACS is an annual survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau that provides demographic, economic, and housing information of the U.S. population. You can use ACS microdata at the county and metropolitan statistical area level through the IPUMS USA website to analyze variables including age, race, ethnicity, median household income, household characteristics, and household composition. It is useful for gathering background data on housing markets.

2) American Housing Survey (AHS)

The AHS, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is the first on our list. It is a biannual national survey that provides current and continuous data on selected housing and demographic characteristics, similar to the ACS. This dataset is useful for analyzing the size and composition of the nation’s housing inventory, vacancies, the physical condition of housing units, characteristics of occupants, mortgages and other housing costs, home values, and the characteristics of recent movers.

3) Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) Data

In addition to AHS data, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development receives custom tabulations of ACS data known as the “CHAS” data. CHAS data demonstrates the extent of housing problems and housing needs, particularly for low-income households. You can use this data to analyze the number of households by area median income.

4) Building Permits Survey Data

The U.S. Census also provides data on building permits monthly, year-to-date, and annually. The data is available nationally, for states, counties, cities and for selected metropolitan areas. You can use it to understand the projected changes in housing supply for the market.

5) City Data

Finally, if you are working on housing research at the local level, check where your city has publicly available data sources online or on their servers. For example, the City of Los Angeles has a website with open data on topics such as the economy, transportation, public safety, and the environment. If you are looking for parcel-level data, LA also has a website called Zimas that can help. Smaller cities may not have as much information available online, but parcel level data may be accessible if you go to their administrative buildings.

Now that you are armored with this information, let me know if any of these datasets were useful to you in the comments below. I’d love to know how you used them and if you know of any others.