Data release date: March 2023

Number of 

housing units 

(million)

Total Southa Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 46.84 1,806 1,570 1,516 740 643 621

Census division

South Atlantic 24.84 1,824 1,558 1,546 759 649 644

East South Central 7.38 1,878 1,673 1,523 804 716 652

West South Central 14.62 1,739 1,539 1,462 678 600 570

Census urban/rural classificationd

Urban 35.88 1,743 1,498 1,478 708 608 600

Urbanized area 32.00 1,754 1,499 1,497 711 608 607

Urban cluster 3.88 1,658 1,483 1,328 680 608 544

Rural 10.96 2,011 1,807 1,639 847 761 691

Climate regione

Very cold/Cold 0.38 1,951 1,728 1,245 894 792 571

Mixed-humid 23.61 1,918 1,737 1,573 794 719 652

Mixed-dry/Hot-dry 1.02 1,678 1,447 1,348 649 560 521

Hot-humid 21.84 1,688 1,393 1,467 684 564 594

Marine N N N N N N N

Housing unit type

Single-family detached 30.29 2,185 1,898 1,831 845 734 708

Single-family attached 2.48 1,561 1,356 1,300 670 582 557

Apartments in buildings with 2–4 units 2.36 904 764 757 383 324 321

Apartments in buildings with 5 or 

more units 7.83 963 811 846 509 429 447

Mobile homes 3.89 1,257 1,169 1,011 494 459 397

Year of construction

Before 1950 3.73 1,802 1,498 1,264 805 669 565

1950 to 1959 3.55 1,594 1,384 1,229 708 615 546

1960 to 1969 4.35 1,602 1,378 1,304 688 592 560

1970 to 1979 6.97 1,566 1,363 1,304 670 583 558

1980 to 1989 7.44 1,689 1,457 1,417 712 614 597

1990 to 1999 7.75 1,939 1,706 1,707 761 670 670

2000 to 2009 7.74 2,103 1,826 1,819 807 701 698

2010 to 2015 2.94 1,953 1,773 1,744 729 662 651

2016 to 2020 2.38 1,987 1,746 1,768 763 670 679

Number of stories

1 story 21.41 1,849 1,570 1,510 769 653 628

2 stories 10.25 2,709 2,423 2,348 937 838 812

3 or more stories 0.63 2,658 2,373 2,265 970 866 827

Split-level 0.49 2,135 1,919 1,805 810 728 685

Not asked (apartments and mobile 

homes) 14.08 1,034 902 877 481 419 408

Fuels used for any use (more than one 

may apply)

Electricity 46.84 1,806 1,570 1,516 740 643 621

Natural gas 20.11 2,018 1,810 1,714 802 719 681

Propanef 4.18 2,205 1,932 1,780 952 834 768

Wood 3.81 2,234 2,058 1,819 848 781 690

Fuel oil or kerosene 0.64 1,962 1,633 1,231 777 647 488

Average square footage 

per housing unit

Table HC10.12 Average square footage of South homes, 2020

Average square footage 

per household member
Number of 

housing units 

(million)

Total Southa Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 46.84 1,806 1,570 1,516 740 643 621

Average square footage 

per housing unit

Table HC10.12 Average square footage of South homes, 2020

Average square footage 

per household member

Distributed solar generation

Yes 0.67 2,235 1,879 1,958 827 695 724

No 35.98 2,041 1,782 1,703 796 696 665

Not asked (apartments) 10.19 949 800 826 475 400 413

Main space heating fuel

Natural gas 15.54 2,104 1,928 1,802 843 773 722

Electricity 25.76 1,655 1,522 1,390 685 630 575

Fuel oil or kerosene 0.47 2,179 1,819 1,395 946 790 606

Propane 1.39 2,113 1,840 1,557 1,006 875 741

Wood 0.60 1,792 1,599 1,111 709 632 439

Some other fuelg Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

Does not use heating equipment 3.08 1,371 0 1,204 540 0 474

Air-conditioning equipment

Uses air-conditioning equipment 44.12 1,828 1,592 1,610 751 654 661

Does not use air-conditioning 

equipment 2.72 1,444 1,217 0 566 477 0

Fuel used by main water heater

Natural gas 14.14 2,053 1,838 1,759 801 717 686

Electricity 31.27 1,670 1,430 1,390 699 598 582

Propane 1.27 2,419 2,100 1,964 1,080 938 877

Fuel oil or kerosene 0.09 1,820 1,546 1,171 610 518 392

Some other fuelg Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

Indoor light bulbs used at least 4 

hours a day

0 to 2 18.08 1,588 1,351 1,301 711 605 582

3 to 5 11.64 1,709 1,485 1,423 718 624 598

6 to 9 8.78 1,871 1,635 1,576 737 644 621

10 to 19 6.43 2,253 2,005 1,953 801 713 694

20 or more 1.91 2,655 2,401 2,371 860 778 768

Total number of rooms (excluding 

bathrooms)

1 or 2 1.26 659 552 526 382 320 304

3 2.59 816 652 666 465 372 380

4 5.41 1,040 880 809 515 436 401

5 7.92 1,267 1,072 1,012 541 458 432

6 8.91 1,590 1,364 1,308 644 553 530

7 7.75 1,933 1,692 1,618 758 663 634

8 5.51 2,347 2,045 1,998 871 759 741

9 or more 7.49 3,192 2,854 2,807 1,107 990 974

Number of bedrooms

0 0.47 796 495 545 397 247 272

1 4.47 773 665 628 532 457 432

2 11.07 1,218 1,031 975 594 503 475

3 20.34 1,817 1,596 1,517 719 632 600

4 8.46 2,679 2,307 2,318 883 761 764

5 or more 2.03 3,759 3,412 3,286 1,066 967 931
Number of 

housing units 

(million)

Total Southa Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 46.84 1,806 1,570 1,516 740 643 621

Average square footage 

per housing unit

Table HC10.12 Average square footage of South homes, 2020

Average square footage 

per household member

Basement

Yes 6.01 2,908 2,457 2,247 1,103 932 853

Finished basement 3.98 2,904 2,648 2,467 1,059 966 900

Unfinished basement 2.03 2,916 2,083 1,814 1,201 858 747

No 26.75 1,964 1,723 1,688 770 675 662

Not asked (apartments and mobile 

homes) 14.08 1,034 902 877 481 419 408

Adequacy of insulation

Well insulated 14.18 2,103 1,849 1,797 869 764 742

Adequately insulated 24.48 1,768 1,538 1,504 729 634 620

Poorly insulated 7.12 1,455 1,240 1,116 576 492 442

No insulation 1.07 1,067 806 716 419 316 281

Type of glass in windows

Single-pane glass 19.05 1,473 1,243 1,195 622 525 505

Double-pane glass 27.04 2,038 1,803 1,741 815 721 696

Triple-pane glass 0.75 1,894 1,482 1,560 857 670 706

Number of household members

1 member 12.59 1,408 1,224 1,137 1,408 1,224 1,137

2 members 17.64 1,876 1,647 1,600 938 824 800

3 members 7.01 1,991 1,737 1,675 664 579 558

4 members 5.64 2,054 1,776 1,745 514 444 436

5 members 2.46 2,088 1,730 1,767 418 346 353

6 or more members 1.51 2,061 1,756 1,693 292 249 240

2020 annual household income

Less than $5,000 1.91 1,118 905 731 422 342 276

$5,000 to $9,999 1.68 1,104 923 777 501 419 353

$10,000 to $19,999 4.15 1,270 1,061 917 623 521 450

$20,000 to $39,999 10.18 1,418 1,220 1,147 632 544 512

$40,000 to $59,999 7.97 1,679 1,435 1,390 717 613 593

$60,000 to $99,999 9.96 1,884 1,668 1,619 745 659 640

$100,000 to $149,999 5.48 2,310 2,034 2,034 855 753 753

$150,000 or more 5.51 2,923 2,587 2,628 1,028 910 924
Number of 

housing units 

(million)

Total Southa Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 46.84 1,806 1,570 1,516 740 643 621

Average square footage 

per housing unit

Table HC10.12 Average square footage of South homes, 2020

Average square footage 

per household member

Ownership of housing unith

Owned 32.27 2,109 1,846 1,793 851 745 723

Rented 14.57 1,135 959 902 481 406 382

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics, Form EIA-457A of the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey

Notes: Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. See RECS Terminology for the definitions of terms used in these tables. 

a Total South includes all primary occupied housing units in the South Census Region. Vacant housing units, seasonal units, second homes, military houses, and group quarters are 

excluded.

b Total square footage includes all basements, finished or conditioned (heated or cooled) areas of attics, and conditioned garage space that is attached to the home. Unconditioned 

and unfinished areas in attics and attached garages are excluded. The square footage of the home is based on respondent reports. Previous RECS cycles calculated square footage 

based on interviewer measurements. For households that did not report an exact square footage estimate, the square footage of the home was imputed based on a reported 

square footage range and/or characteristics of the home. See 2020 RECS Square Footage Methodology for full details about data collection and processing.

c

When calculating average heated and cooled square footage, all housing units are considered, including those that are not heated or cooled.

d

 Housing units are classified using criteria created by the U.S. Census Bureau based on 2010 Census data. Urbanized areas are densely settled groupings of blocks or tracts with 

50,000 or more people, while urban clusters have at least 2,500 but less than 50,000 people. All other areas are rural.

e

 The Building America program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), created these climate regions. We 

combined climate regions for this publication. The Subarctic region is included with data for Very-cold/Cold .

f

 Households that use propane only for outdoor grilling are excluded from the RECS estimate of households using propane. 

g Some other fuel includes coal and district steam.

h Rented includes households that occupy their primary housing unit without paying rent. 

Q = Data withheld because either the relative standard error (RSE) was greater than 50% or fewer than 10 households were in the reporting sample.

N = No households in reporting sample. 
Data release date: March 2023

RSEs for number 

of housing units

Total Southa Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 0.00 0.69 0.79 0.68 1.11 1.18 1.08

Census division

South Atlantic 0.00 0.85 0.98 0.98 1.42 1.48 1.50

East South Central 0.00 1.58 1.53 1.64 1.98 1.87 2.02

West South Central 0.00 1.40 1.42 1.57 1.90 1.94 1.87

Census urban/rural classificationd

Urban 0.61 0.79 0.92 0.85 1.26 1.36 1.27

Urbanized area 0.87 0.87 1.05 0.89 1.30 1.44 1.25

Urban cluster 4.29 2.63 2.49 3.26 3.22 3.13 3.69

Rural 1.99 1.40 1.47 1.56 2.05 2.05 2.10

Climate regione

Very cold/Cold 8.76 5.47 6.33 7.80 7.09 6.73 8.61

Mixed-humid 0.61 0.83 0.82 0.95 1.49 1.45 1.54

Mixed-dry/Hot-dry 9.05 7.74 5.90 6.61 9.55 9.23 9.09

Hot-humid 0.71 1.03 1.53 1.14 1.46 1.82 1.45

Marine 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Housing unit type

Single-family detached 0.00 0.83 0.90 0.82 1.26 1.28 1.22

Single-family attached 0.00 2.46 2.83 2.82 3.68 3.94 4.19

Apartments in buildings with 2–4 units 0.00 2.73 3.63 3.91 5.39 6.45 5.96

Apartments in buildings with 5 or 

more units 0.00 1.44 2.69 1.92 2.76 3.97 2.78

Mobile homes 0.00 1.77 2.22 3.07 3.98 4.42 4.91

Year of construction

Before 1950 0.00 2.80 2.57 3.85 3.87 3.52 4.52

1950 to 1959 0.00 3.00 3.00 3.35 4.48 5.06 5.21

1960 to 1969 0.00 2.33 2.48 2.66 3.50 3.70 3.82

1970 to 1979 0.00 2.07 2.31 2.19 2.71 3.08 2.90

1980 to 1989 0.00 1.93 2.28 2.02 2.55 2.87 2.56

1990 to 1999 0.00 2.06 2.25 2.24 2.35 2.93 2.73

2000 to 2009 0.00 1.79 2.07 1.87 2.36 2.75 2.35

2010 to 2015 3.94 3.32 3.81 3.39 4.41 4.65 4.35

2016 to 2020 4.87 3.12 3.63 3.19 4.57 4.64 4.43

Number of stories

1 story 1.03 0.96 0.96 1.01 1.50 1.43 1.41

2 stories 1.99 1.21 1.20 1.27 1.85 1.89 2.02

3 or more stories 9.77 6.25 7.61 6.23 8.81 10.58 8.69

Split-level 10.31 5.60 5.23 6.25 7.70 7.65 9.22

Not asked (apartments and mobile 

homes) 0.00 1.01 1.72 1.52 1.98 2.59 2.22

Fuels used for any use (more than one 

may apply)

Electricity 0.00 0.69 0.79 0.68 1.11 1.18 1.08

Natural gas 1.37 1.13 1.01 1.12 1.73 1.67 1.65

Propanef 4.25 2.60 2.60 2.76 3.50 3.55 3.52

Wood 3.89 1.84 1.78 2.62 3.36 3.21 3.63

Fuel oil or kerosene 12.40 5.83 6.50 9.46 10.89 11.44 12.79

Relative standards errors (RSEs) for Table HC10.12 Average square footage of South homes, 2020

RSEs for average square footage 

per housing unit

RSEs for average square footage 

per household member
RSEs for number 

of housing units

Total Southa Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 0.00 0.69 0.79 0.68 1.11 1.18 1.08

Relative standards errors (RSEs) for Table HC10.12 Average square footage of South homes, 2020

RSEs for average square footage 

per housing unit

RSEs for average square footage 

per household member

Distributed solar generation

Yes 11.82 6.14 8.62 6.98 7.31 10.82 8.14

No 0.22 0.80 0.82 0.77 1.22 1.17 1.18

Not asked (apartments) 0.00 1.35 2.38 1.83 2.57 3.49 2.54

Main space heating fuel

Natural gas 1.74 1.19 1.07 1.20 1.84 1.68 1.74

Electricity 1.24 0.90 0.86 0.98 1.45 1.40 1.48

Fuel oil or kerosene 13.81 5.93 6.43 9.79 12.45 12.60 13.88

Propane 5.91 5.28 4.94 5.99 6.42 6.09 6.76

Wood 10.65 5.42 3.93 9.68 8.01 8.13 11.23

Some other fuelg 100.58 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Does not use heating equipment 6.86 3.30 0.00 3.53 4.59 0.00 4.95

Air-conditioning equipment

Uses air-conditioning equipment 0.30 0.74 0.83 0.68 1.14 1.21 1.06

Does not use air-conditioning 

equipment 4.79 3.91 4.32 0.00 5.00 5.05 0.00

Fuel used by main water heater

Natural gas 1.97 1.38 1.39 1.39 1.82 1.81 1.78

Electricity 1.02 0.90 1.11 1.00 1.43 1.61 1.47

Propane 7.96 5.36 4.94 5.73 5.85 5.24 5.66

Fuel oil or kerosene 27.75 19.02 26.25 32.09 27.84 35.80 37.99

Some other fuelg 41.13 20.77 44.86 41.33 39.37 34.56 79.64

Indoor light bulbs used at least 4 

hours a day

0 to 2 1.73 1.14 1.40 1.47 1.56 1.81 1.85

3 to 5 2.14 1.72 1.63 1.49 2.85 2.69 2.46

6 to 9 2.73 1.84 1.84 2.13 2.30 2.37 2.65

10 to 19 3.40 1.80 1.95 1.94 2.67 2.86 2.89

20 or more 6.82 3.64 3.49 3.60 5.07 5.35 5.14

Total number of rooms (excluding 

bathrooms)

1 or 2 9.62 4.82 6.87 7.28 18.41 19.65 19.11

3 6.07 2.77 4.59 3.96 5.69 8.03 6.45

4 4.16 1.89 2.27 2.61 2.90 3.34 3.52

5 3.85 1.22 1.77 1.79 2.29 2.47 2.61

6 2.60 1.12 1.53 1.31 2.06 2.27 2.12

7 2.96 1.42 1.71 1.44 2.58 2.78 2.42

8 3.77 1.38 1.74 1.38 2.04 2.34 2.25

9 or more 2.75 1.40 1.47 1.43 2.07 2.10 2.15

Number of bedrooms

0 16.75 14.90 12.05 12.64 22.87 23.70 19.87

1 4.25 1.89 3.57 2.63 4.66 5.84 5.12

2 2.35 1.28 1.76 1.78 2.07 2.46 2.41

3 1.60 0.96 0.93 0.95 1.63 1.58 1.50

4 3.05 1.26 1.36 1.28 1.95 2.18 2.04

5 or more 5.86 3.03 3.40 3.22 4.79 4.92 4.94
RSEs for number 

of housing units

Total Southa Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 0.00 0.69 0.79 0.68 1.11 1.18 1.08

Relative standards errors (RSEs) for Table HC10.12 Average square footage of South homes, 2020

RSEs for average square footage 

per housing unit

RSEs for average square footage 

per household member

Basement

Yes 2.77 1.61 1.67 1.79 2.36 2.33 2.44

Finished basement 3.56 1.77 1.81 1.90 2.83 2.80 2.86

Unfinished basement 5.48 2.74 3.16 3.90 3.24 3.43 3.72

No 0.62 0.90 1.02 0.89 1.25 1.31 1.24

Not asked (apartments and mobile 

homes) 0.00 1.01 1.72 1.52 1.98 2.59 2.22

Adequacy of insulation

Well insulated 2.24 1.42 1.66 1.42 1.91 2.24 1.99

Adequately insulated 1.29 0.95 1.08 1.04 1.71 1.85 1.77

Poorly insulated 3.80 2.35 2.36 2.81 3.16 3.38 3.48

No insulation 9.81 5.00 7.63 7.04 8.58 9.72 9.65

Type of glass in windows

Single-pane glass 1.68 1.28 1.55 1.49 1.78 1.98 1.92

Double-pane glass 1.18 0.87 0.97 0.83 1.40 1.36 1.32

Triple-pane glass 11.09 6.15 8.96 7.77 8.46 10.23 9.99

Number of household members

1 member 2.07 1.48 1.63 1.88 1.48 1.63 1.88

2 members 1.50 1.11 1.32 1.17 1.11 1.32 1.17

3 members 2.94 2.30 2.19 2.32 2.30 2.19 2.32

4 members 3.52 2.08 2.46 2.44 2.08 2.46 2.44

5 members 6.83 3.96 4.24 4.17 3.96 4.24 4.17

6 or more members 7.69 4.23 4.81 4.54 5.21 5.52 5.71

2020 annual household income

Less than $5,000 7.49 5.05 5.26 7.23 7.68 8.05 8.92

$5,000 to $9,999 7.81 3.79 4.66 5.84 6.74 7.17 9.00

$10,000 to $19,999 4.55 2.95 2.86 3.50 3.82 4.26 4.63

$20,000 to $39,999 2.82 1.83 1.92 2.17 2.39 2.46 2.75

$40,000 to $59,999 3.07 2.02 2.13 2.03 2.58 2.73 2.75

$60,000 to $99,999 2.86 1.52 1.80 1.49 2.16 2.47 2.09

$100,000 to $149,999 3.33 1.84 1.81 1.71 2.22 2.29 2.06

$150,000 or more 2.93 1.67 2.19 1.83 2.02 2.32 2.04
RSEs for number 

of housing units

Total Southa Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 0.00 0.69 0.79 0.68 1.11 1.18 1.08

Relative standards errors (RSEs) for Table HC10.12 Average square footage of South homes, 2020

RSEs for average square footage 

per housing unit

RSEs for average square footage 

per household member

Ownership of housing unith

Owned 0.71 0.81 0.82 0.76 1.27 1.29 1.22

Rented 1.57 1.31 1.54 1.64 2.02 2.23 2.15

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics, Form EIA-457A of the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey

Notes: See RECS Terminology for the definitions of terms used in these tables. 

a Total South includes all primary occupied housing units in the South Census Region. Vacant housing units, seasonal units, second homes, military houses, and group quarters are 

excluded.

b Total square footage includes all basements, finished or conditioned (heated or cooled) areas of attics, and conditioned garage space that is attached to the home. Unconditioned 

and unfinished areas in attics and attached garages are excluded. The square footage of the home is based on respondent reports. Previous RECS cycles calculated square footage 

based on interviewer measurements. For households that did not report an exact square footage estimate, the square footage of the home was imputed based on a reported 

square footage range and/or characteristics of the home. See 2020 RECS Square Footage Methodology for full details about data collection and processing.

c

When calculating average heated and cooled square footage, all housing units are considered, including those that are not heated or cooled.

d

 Housing units are classified using criteria created by the U.S. Census Bureau based on 2010 Census data. Urbanized areas are densely settled groupings of blocks or tracts with 

50,000 or more people, while urban clusters have at least 2,500 but less than 50,000 people. All other areas are rural.

e

 The Building America program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), created these climate regions. We 

combined climate regions for this publication. The Subarctic region is included with data for Very-cold/Cold .

f

 Households that use propane only for outdoor grilling are excluded from the RECS estimate of households using propane. 

g Some other fuel includes coal and district steam.

h Rented includes households that occupy their primary housing unit without paying rent.