Data release date: March 2023

Number of 

housing units 

(million)

Total 

Northeasta Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 21.92 1,827 1,601 1,002 752 659 413

Census division

New England 5.88 1,930 1,645 839 782 666 340

Middle Atlantic 16.04 1,789 1,584 1,062 741 657 440

Census urban/rural classificationd

Urban 18.56 1,711 1,514 998 700 619 408

Urbanized area 17.30 1,701 1,508 1,016 690 612 412

Urban cluster 1.25 1,845 1,594 738 856 739 342

Rural 3.36 2,469 2,080 1,025 1,058 892 439

Climate regione

Very cold/Cold 13.69 1,975 1,713 994 834 723 420

Mixed-humid 8.23 1,581 1,415 1,014 626 560 401

Mixed-dry/Hot-dry N N N N N N N

Hot-humid N N N N N N N

Marine N N N N N N N

Housing unit type

Single-family detached 11.23 2,520 2,136 1,367 953 808 517

Single-family attached 1.95 1,804 1,568 1,061 669 581 393

Apartments in buildings with 2–4 units 3.15 1,040 1,026 518 416 410 207

Apartments in buildings with 5 or 

more units 5.10 869 842 516 479 464 284

Mobile homes 0.50 1,081 1,056 572 471 460 249

Year of construction

Before 1950 7.15 1,711 1,472 740 735 632 318

1950 to 1959 3.02 1,795 1,559 966 738 641 397

1960 to 1969 2.56 1,767 1,566 1,043 733 649 432

1970 to 1979 2.62 1,713 1,509 951 704 621 391

1980 to 1989 2.20 1,831 1,629 1,053 771 686 444

1990 to 1999 1.80 2,105 1,878 1,278 778 695 473

2000 to 2009 1.58 2,278 2,041 1,574 861 771 594

2010 to 2015 0.56 1,874 1,656 1,456 785 694 610

2016 to 2020 0.43 2,126 1,807 1,567 856 727 631

Number of stories

1 story 3.65 2,201 1,801 1,056 950 777 456

2 stories 8.26 2,500 2,141 1,411 909 778 513

3 or more stories 0.85 2,607 2,335 1,605 856 767 527

Split-level 0.42 2,173 1,907 1,299 767 673 458

Not asked (apartments and mobile 

homes) 8.74 942 920 520 451 440 249

Fuels used for any use (more than one 

may apply)

Electricity 21.92 1,827 1,601 1,002 752 659 413

Natural gas 14.59 1,739 1,545 1,037 705 626 420

Propanef 2.58 2,384 2,035 1,156 957 817 464

Wood 2.28 2,541 2,186 1,196 912 785 429

Fuel oil or kerosene 4.47 2,170 1,835 921 877 742 372

Average square footage 

per housing unit

Table HC10.10 Average square footage of Northeast homes, 2020

Average square footage 

per household member
Number of 

housing units 

(million)

Total 

Northeasta Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 21.92 1,827 1,601 1,002 752 659 413

Average square footage 

per housing unit

Table HC10.10 Average square footage of Northeast homes, 2020

Average square footage 

per household member

Distributed solar generation

Yes 0.72 2,347 1,989 1,292 791 670 435

No 12.96 2,366 2,017 1,294 903 770 494

Not asked (apartments) 8.24 934 912 517 450 439 249

Main space heating fuel

Natural gas 12.24 1,822 1,628 1,111 732 655 447

Electricity 3.99 1,319 1,177 756 611 545 350

Fuel oil or kerosene 4.07 2,175 1,836 919 885 747 374

Propane 0.99 2,359 2,046 1,236 889 772 466

Wood 0.47 2,341 1,907 684 927 756 271

Some other fuelg Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

Does not use heating equipment 0.12 982 0 427 Q 0 Q

Air-conditioning equipment

Uses air-conditioning equipment 19.50 1,857 1,632 1,126 750 659 455

Does not use air-conditioning 

equipment 2.42 1,581 1,348 0 776 661 0

Fuel used by main water heater

Natural gas 11.41 1,797 1,599 1,082 729 649 439

Electricity 7.18 1,675 1,468 886 720 631 381

Propane 0.84 2,466 2,023 1,134 949 779 437

Fuel oil or kerosene 2.38 2,202 1,859 923 905 764 379

Some other fuelg 0.11 1,889 1,675 928 485 430 238

Indoor light bulbs used at least 4 

hours a day

0 to 2 8.39 1,596 1,390 796 741 646 370

3 to 5 5.62 1,736 1,513 911 735 640 385

6 to 9 4.19 1,876 1,637 1,038 731 638 405

10 to 19 2.89 2,292 2,026 1,412 799 706 492

20 or more 0.84 2,896 2,652 2,072 854 782 611

Total number of rooms (excluding 

bathrooms)

1 or 2 1.09 627 587 460 463 433 339

3 2.21 777 743 453 480 458 279

4 3.17 1,025 953 517 478 445 241

5 3.19 1,420 1,237 685 604 526 291

6 3.54 1,887 1,568 936 754 627 374

7 2.93 2,198 1,886 1,146 840 721 438

8 2.35 2,442 2,164 1,348 852 755 470

9 or more 3.45 3,199 2,811 1,974 1,038 912 641

Number of bedrooms

0 0.39 700 683 427 540 527 330

1 3.65 800 753 434 544 512 295

2 5.74 1,317 1,194 687 614 557 321

3 7.39 2,069 1,755 1,036 769 652 385

4 3.69 2,761 2,403 1,643 889 774 529

5 or more 1.06 3,591 3,190 2,393 1,032 916 687
Number of 

housing units 

(million)

Total 

Northeasta Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 21.92 1,827 1,601 1,002 752 659 413

Average square footage 

per housing unit

Table HC10.10 Average square footage of Northeast homes, 2020

Average square footage 

per household member

Basement

Yes 11.19 2,537 2,120 1,344 945 790 501

Finished basement 5.70 2,565 2,296 1,554 896 802 543

Unfinished basement 5.49 2,508 1,937 1,126 1,004 775 451

No 1.99 1,718 1,671 1,194 694 675 482

Not asked (apartments and mobile 

homes) 8.74 942 920 520 451 440 249

Adequacy of insulation

Well insulated 5.82 2,165 1,875 1,302 907 786 546

Adequately insulated 11.18 1,821 1,604 976 745 656 399

Poorly insulated 4.17 1,485 1,313 758 611 540 312

No insulation 0.75 1,191 1,012 419 484 411 170

Type of glass in windows

Single-pane glass 6.60 1,432 1,254 710 641 561 318

Double-pane glass 15.01 1,988 1,742 1,121 793 695 447

Triple-pane glass 0.30 2,472 2,160 1,458 898 784 530

Number of household members

1 member 6.02 1,341 1,154 635 1,341 1,154 635

2 members 7.96 1,937 1,695 1,025 969 847 512

3 members 3.53 1,973 1,727 1,118 658 576 373

4 members 2.76 2,178 1,937 1,372 545 484 343

5 members 0.91 2,270 2,052 1,457 454 410 291

6 or more members 0.75 2,046 1,816 1,245 298 265 182

2020 annual household income

Less than $5,000 0.66 1,188 1,010 526 423 360 187

$5,000 to $9,999 0.69 1,006 889 387 576 509 222

$10,000 to $19,999 1.77 1,248 1,121 513 608 547 250

$20,000 to $39,999 3.36 1,450 1,258 662 702 609 321

$40,000 to $59,999 3.04 1,601 1,394 728 704 613 320

$60,000 to $99,999 5.03 1,827 1,581 942 761 659 392

$100,000 to $149,999 3.29 2,048 1,800 1,209 764 671 451

$150,000 or more 4.09 2,618 2,321 1,782 907 804 618
Number of 

housing units 

(million)

Total 

Northeasta Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 21.92 1,827 1,601 1,002 752 659 413

Average square footage 

per housing unit

Table HC10.10 Average square footage of Northeast homes, 2020

Average square footage 

per household member

Ownership of housing unith

Owned 13.77 2,314 1,993 1,293 898 774 502

Rented 8.15 1,004 938 511 461 431 234

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 Northeast includes all primary occupied housing units in the Northeast 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 

Northeasta Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 0.00 0.88 0.98 1.74 1.18 1.23 1.72

Census division

New England 0.00 1.35 1.43 2.33 1.87 1.86 2.34

Middle Atlantic 0.00 1.17 1.26 2.14 1.54 1.57 2.15

Census urban/rural classificationd

Urban 0.56 1.07 1.12 1.86 1.44 1.48 2.00

Urbanized area 0.59 1.18 1.20 1.91 1.51 1.52 2.04

Urban cluster 6.76 3.63 3.37 7.91 5.54 5.35 7.90

Rural 3.09 2.29 2.49 4.84 3.41 3.59 5.19

Climate regione

Very cold/Cold 1.29 0.99 1.08 2.10 1.47 1.48 2.04

Mixed-humid 2.15 1.92 1.94 2.77 2.47 2.41 2.93

Mixed-dry/Hot-dry 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hot-humid 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Marine 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Housing unit type

Single-family detached 0.00 1.13 1.23 2.24 1.55 1.56 2.35

Single-family attached 0.00 2.49 2.71 4.41 4.42 4.48 6.00

Apartments in buildings with 2–4 units 0.00 2.75 2.97 5.94 4.84 4.86 6.35

Apartments in buildings with 5 or 

more units 0.00 1.77 1.94 3.64 2.36 2.37 3.65

Mobile homes 0.00 4.07 4.76 9.41 10.87 12.03 13.93

Year of construction

Before 1950 0.00 2.18 2.25 4.28 3.26 3.30 4.80

1950 to 1959 0.00 2.51 2.46 4.16 3.55 3.46 4.91

1960 to 1969 0.00 4.15 3.99 6.34 3.96 3.52 5.63

1970 to 1979 0.00 3.22 3.14 5.08 3.90 3.78 5.44

1980 to 1989 0.00 2.98 2.72 4.91 4.41 4.22 5.93

1990 to 1999 0.00 3.54 3.57 5.45 5.08 5.14 6.58

2000 to 2009 0.00 4.48 4.51 5.73 4.98 4.83 5.82

2010 to 2015 7.00 7.34 7.23 7.81 6.94 6.51 7.13

2016 to 2020 9.20 8.21 8.06 9.08 8.89 8.86 9.93

Number of stories

1 story 3.36 1.95 2.17 4.15 2.78 2.80 4.27

2 stories 1.38 1.15 1.29 2.24 1.57 1.67 2.45

3 or more stories 7.40 4.69 4.90 7.03 7.93 8.06 9.42

Split-level 13.04 6.51 6.45 11.11 8.00 7.43 10.25

Not asked (apartments and mobile 

homes) 0.00 1.46 1.57 2.95 2.54 2.51 3.14

Fuels used for any use (more than one 

may apply)

Electricity 0.00 0.88 0.98 1.74 1.18 1.23 1.72

Natural gas 0.98 1.27 1.35 2.18 1.73 1.78 2.32

Propanef 4.90 2.06 2.51 4.72 3.27 3.52 5.32

Wood 3.85 2.13 2.20 4.07 3.52 3.53 4.59

Fuel oil or kerosene 3.69 2.15 2.05 3.73 3.02 2.88 4.36

Relative standard errors (RSEs) for Table HC10.10 Average square footage of Northeast 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 

Northeasta Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 0.00 0.88 0.98 1.74 1.18 1.23 1.72

Relative standard errors (RSEs) for Table HC10.10 Average square footage of Northeast homes, 2020

RSEs for average square footage 

per housing unit

RSEs for average square footage 

per household member

Distributed solar generation

Yes 7.94 3.86 4.31 6.28 6.69 7.02 8.33

No 0.44 1.06 1.18 2.01 1.40 1.40 2.06

Not asked (apartments) 0.00 1.57 1.70 3.17 2.61 2.58 3.39

Main space heating fuel

Natural gas 1.51 1.39 1.46 2.53 1.88 1.91 2.70

Electricity 4.25 2.92 3.12 4.11 3.30 3.34 4.42

Fuel oil or kerosene 3.90 2.30 2.25 4.24 3.16 2.98 4.85

Propane 8.29 3.87 4.15 8.03 5.81 6.37 9.79

Wood 10.55 6.09 6.05 13.06 7.85 7.91 14.23

Some other fuelg 39.10 27.16 25.13 54.13 31.99 26.82 51.37

Does not use heating equipment 27.39 13.51 0.00 31.84 52.57 0.00 50.48

Air-conditioning equipment

Uses air-conditioning equipment 0.66 0.91 1.05 1.66 1.31 1.38 1.82

Does not use air-conditioning 

equipment 5.35 3.17 3.14 0.00 4.38 4.19 0.00

Fuel used by main water heater

Natural gas 1.45 1.49 1.52 2.62 1.99 2.03 2.82

Electricity 2.25 1.89 2.15 3.47 2.24 2.33 3.47

Propane 8.32 4.04 3.86 8.01 5.33 5.12 8.91

Fuel oil or kerosene 5.63 3.45 3.22 4.63 4.51 4.36 5.57

Some other fuelg 23.92 14.52 17.84 25.80 29.04 32.54 31.14

Indoor light bulbs used at least 4 

hours a day

0 to 2 2.60 1.67 1.73 3.11 2.21 2.19 3.40

3 to 5 3.40 2.49 2.50 4.09 3.15 3.03 3.97

6 to 9 4.46 2.28 2.23 3.72 2.76 2.78 3.63

10 to 19 5.13 3.03 3.06 4.45 4.38 4.40 5.37

20 or more 8.10 4.13 4.42 5.90 5.90 6.05 7.53

Total number of rooms (excluding 

bathrooms)

1 or 2 9.51 4.15 5.15 8.16 8.31 9.61 11.11

3 6.67 2.09 2.04 4.76 4.10 4.04 5.20

4 4.66 2.03 2.16 4.41 4.00 4.07 5.42

5 4.67 1.94 2.01 4.05 3.10 3.05 4.37

6 4.10 1.79 1.75 3.91 2.99 2.87 4.21

7 3.74 1.75 2.02 3.62 2.64 2.82 4.08

8 5.06 1.40 1.73 3.61 2.40 2.34 3.47

9 or more 4.50 1.74 1.89 3.28 2.93 2.97 3.96

Number of bedrooms

0 16.15 11.51 11.83 17.40 10.27 10.62 18.05

1 3.63 1.90 1.91 3.61 3.56 3.56 4.29

2 3.52 1.45 1.63 3.11 1.91 2.18 3.43

3 2.42 1.03 1.18 2.58 1.67 1.75 2.71

4 3.70 1.66 1.96 3.19 2.62 2.74 3.56

5 or more 8.03 3.32 3.54 5.27 5.66 5.84 6.88
RSEs for number 

of housing units

Total 

Northeasta Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 0.00 0.88 0.98 1.74 1.18 1.23 1.72

Relative standard errors (RSEs) for Table HC10.10 Average square footage of Northeast homes, 2020

RSEs for average square footage 

per housing unit

RSEs for average square footage 

per household member

Basement

Yes 0.91 1.05 1.22 2.23 1.53 1.61 2.40

Finished basement 2.08 1.46 1.69 2.91 2.29 2.35 3.18

Unfinished basement 2.61 1.45 1.59 3.26 2.32 2.23 3.36

No 5.11 2.58 2.61 4.09 2.83 2.88 4.31

Not asked (apartments and mobile 

homes) 0.00 1.46 1.57 2.95 2.54 2.51 3.14

Adequacy of insulation

Well insulated 3.36 2.01 2.18 3.23 2.52 2.69 3.63

Adequately insulated 1.84 1.30 1.36 2.13 1.93 1.91 2.43

Poorly insulated 3.71 2.71 2.84 4.68 3.25 3.26 4.67

No insulation 12.32 7.68 6.49 12.30 11.48 10.51 12.35

Type of glass in windows

Single-pane glass 2.69 1.91 2.15 3.91 2.39 2.39 3.86

Double-pane glass 1.17 1.18 1.28 2.05 1.51 1.59 2.03

Triple-pane glass 14.06 9.87 10.27 16.65 11.86 12.35 17.15

Number of household members

1 member 2.99 1.95 1.96 3.82 1.95 1.96 3.82

2 members 2.54 1.80 1.85 2.79 1.80 1.85 2.79

3 members 3.66 2.56 2.61 4.27 2.56 2.61 4.27

4 members 5.11 2.32 2.23 3.55 2.32 2.23 3.55

5 members 8.00 4.46 4.98 7.15 4.46 4.98 7.15

6 or more members 10.62 5.27 5.24 7.56 5.59 5.52 7.64

2020 annual household income

Less than $5,000 12.39 6.54 5.15 13.60 8.63 6.73 12.03

$5,000 to $9,999 10.11 7.57 7.33 10.69 8.28 8.72 10.04

$10,000 to $19,999 7.27 3.49 3.75 7.40 6.15 6.24 8.45

$20,000 to $39,999 5.04 2.78 2.79 4.64 3.35 3.34 4.76

$40,000 to $59,999 4.76 2.98 2.75 4.87 3.79 3.79 5.13

$60,000 to $99,999 3.55 1.93 2.07 3.70 2.64 2.65 4.04

$100,000 to $149,999 3.99 2.43 2.33 3.35 2.84 2.63 3.75

$150,000 or more 3.22 2.26 2.54 3.21 2.70 2.78 3.47
RSEs for number 

of housing units

Total 

Northeasta Totalb Heatedc Cooledc Totalb Heated Cooled

All homes 0.00 0.88 0.98 1.74 1.18 1.23 1.72

Relative standard errors (RSEs) for Table HC10.10 Average square footage of Northeast homes, 2020

RSEs for average square footage 

per housing unit

RSEs for average square footage 

per household member

Ownership of housing unith

Owned 1.01 1.14 1.22 1.99 1.53 1.58 2.16

Rented 1.70 1.59 1.64 3.16 2.19 2.28 3.24

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 Northeast includes all primary occupied housing units in the Northeast 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.