Documentation

User Guide

How to use the site, what the housing terms mean, and where the data comes from.

How do I use the digital Housing Needs Assessment?

Visit The Plan to read about the Housing Affordability Strategy, the approach, and the latest findings from the Housing Needs Assessment.

Downloading data

Each chart includes a download-to-CSV button. The chart toolbar (top right of each chart block) also offers an expand view and a table view of the underlying data.

Glossary

Housing terms used throughout the data platform.

Affordable housing terminology

Area Median Income (AMI): The midpoint in the distribution of household incomes within a geographic region. HUD publishes annual AMI levels, adjusted for family size, that are used to determine applicants' eligibility for federally and locally funded housing programs.
Cost Burden: A household is considered cost burdened when 30% or more of household income is spent on gross housing costs (renters or homeowners).
Severe Cost Burden: A household is considered severely cost burdened when 50% or more of household income is spent on housing.
Deed-Restricted Units: Also called subsidized or covenanted units. These homes typically receive government subsidy and have a covenant that restricts rent growth.
Equity: Ensuring all individuals have fair and equal opportunities to secure safe and suitable housing, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, disability, familial status, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, or location. Aims to eliminate disparities and systemic barriers.
Home Values vs. Supportable Home Price: Total monthly payment is calculated using median income, prevailing mortgage rates, and average state-wide property tax estimates. Homes are considered affordable if the total monthly payment does not exceed 30% of gross household pre-tax income.
Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC): A federal program that provides a dollar-for-dollar tax credit to support development of affordable rental housing. State housing finance agencies allocate credits. 9% credits cover a higher share of project costs and are awarded competitively. 4% credits cover less and are usually paired with tax-exempt bond financing.
Opportunity: Locating housing in opportunity areas means residents have equitable access to employment, transit, schooling, healthcare, and other needs. Concentrated poverty produces fewer opportunities, poorer health, and lower life expectancy.
Tenure: The financial arrangement and ownership structure under which someone has the right to live in a home. Typical forms include renter-occupancy and owner-occupancy.
Vacancy: Residential units that are unoccupied. Common reasons: for-rent or for-sale, second/seasonal homes, rented or owned but not currently occupied, or foreclosed/needing repair.

Geography levels on the platform

Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA): A geographic entity defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget that comprises adjacent counties grouped by significant economic and social ties (often commuting patterns). CBSAs can be Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Areas. They emphasize economic relationships rather than administrative boundaries.
County: A primary administrative subdivision of a state. Franklin County, Ohio is the focus of this site.
Cities, Townships, and Villages: Urban and suburban areas with local governments providing services and governance to residents. The distinction between them varies based on local laws.

Types of housing

Housing Typology: Based on the number of units in a structure. Includes single family housing (detached and attached single units) and multifamily housing (residential buildings with more than two units).
Multifamily Housing: A residential building consisting of more than two housing units.
Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH): Housing priced by market forces at rates that are affordable to low-income households (housing cost ≤ 30% of income). NOAH often makes up a significant portion of a jurisdiction's affordable housing stock alongside publicly subsidized housing.
Public Housing: Affordable housing traditionally owned by a local government agency or public housing authority. HUD provides federal aid to local authorities to operate housing for residents who pay rent they can afford. Roughly 1.2 million U.S. households live in public housing managed by ~3,300 housing authorities.
Supportive Housing: Affordable housing paired with support services that help tenants stay stably housed and build life skills. Can be permanent or temporary. A successful tool for populations that are difficult to serve with traditional housing, such as chronically homeless adults.
Single Family Housing: A residential building typology — detached or attached — that contains only one housing unit.

Data Sources

The Housing Needs Assessment uses more than thirteen national, state, and county datasets. Each source below links to the publishing agency for documentation and bulk downloads.

American Community Survey (ACS), 5-Year Estimates: U.S. Census Bureau. Demographic, socioeconomic, and housing data at many geographic levels. The U.S. Census Bureau administers the ACS to about 3% of all U.S. households every year. 5-year estimates represent data collected over five years and provide a more detailed and reliable picture of the population than 1-year estimates. HR&A accesses ACS data via the Census Bureau's ACS API.
Building Permits Survey (BPS): U.S. Census Bureau. Monthly data on new permits for residential construction. The Census Bureau collects voluntary monthly data from jurisdictions that issue 99% of permits and seasonally adjusts the final reported data. BPS is used to analyze trends in construction activity. For the most accurate building permits data, refer to local data sources.
Current Population Survey (CPS): U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CPS measures national employment and unemployment monthly through a joint sponsorship between the agencies. Its labor force statistics shed light on national economic trends.
Decennial Census of Population and Housing: U.S. Census Bureau. A comprehensive population count carried out every ten years as required by the U.S. Constitution. The census collects demographic data on every individual in the country, including age, race, gender, and household information.
LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES): U.S. Census Bureau. Detailed, longitudinal, geographic data about employers and employees, used to map labor market dynamics across space and time. Particularly useful for visualizing geographic concentrations of employment and identifying commuting patterns.
Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS): U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monthly estimates produced from data in the ACS, CPS, the Current Employment Statistics survey, and state unemployment insurance systems. Helps policymakers track employment and unemployment at local levels.
Multifamily Tax Subsidy Projects (MTSP) Income Limits: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sets the maximum incomes for households to qualify for affordable housing funded by LIHTC and tax-exempt bonds. HUD updates income limits annually based on the median family income for each HUD Fair Market Rent area.
National Housing Preservation Database (NHPD): PAHRC and NLIHC. Tracks federally assisted (and some state-assisted) rental housing properties in the U.S., including each property's location, funding sources, and physical conditions. NHPD sheds light on potential affordability expirations.
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS): U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Annual employment and income data for each occupation at a variety of geographic levels. Informs policymakers and researchers about labor market conditions, employment, and wages.
Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS), 5-Year Estimates: U.S. Census Bureau. A subset of the ACS published at the individual and housing unit levels (rather than pre-tabulated). PUMS allows researchers to perform customized analyses while protecting respondents' privacy.
Statistics of Income (SOI) Migration Data: Internal Revenue Service. By linking individual income tax returns over time, the IRS identifies address changes from the prior year. SOI is among the best publicly available data sources tracking internal migration within the United States.
Zillow Housing Data: Zillow Research. Indexes, analyses, and reports covering home values, rent prices, for-sale listings, and market predictions, drawn from Zillow's marketplace and other sources.