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FACT BRIEF

Are there more homes than people in the US?

Thursday, April 16, 2020
By Jay Majithia
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NO

U.S. housing units as of July 2021 numbered 142.15 million, according to the latest data by the U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau's population estimate for that date was about 332 million — more than double the amount of housing units.

Housing units did exceed U.S. households, which averaged about 124 million between 2017 and 2021, according to the bureau.

Vacant housing accounted for more than 15.3 million units on average in 2021 and just over 15 million units in 2022. In comparison, on a given night in 2022, roughly 582,500 people were experiencing homelessness.

The total housing supply has increased in recent years, from 133 million in 2011 to the above-mentioned 142.15 million figure in 2021.

Over a similar period period, vacancies have decreased, from about 19 million in the first quarter of 2011 to about 14.5 million in the last quarter of 2022.

Homelessness has also decreased modestly from 623,788 in 2011.

Updated 5/2/23 to reflect the most up-to-date information.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Census Bureau QuickFacts | United States
Federal Reserve Economic Data Housing Inventory Estimate: Vacant Housing Units in the United States
US Department of Housing and Urban Development The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress
Data Commons Count of Housing Unit (United States of America)
Statista Estimated number of homeless people in the US from 2007 to 2022
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.