Historical Census of Housing Tables: Home Values (2024)

FAQs

What is the historical value of a house? ›

The historic cost of a home is the actual price that was paid in previous sales transitions. This figure would be available via the local county courthouse, which records home sales prices whenever the ownership of a property changes.

We ask about the housing costs of people who own homes in the community in combination with age, gender, race, Hispanic origin, disability status, and other data about the household residents, to help the government and communities enforce laws, such as the 1968 Fair Housing Act, designed to eliminate discrimination in ...

We compile the results from these questions to provide communities with important statistics to help plan economic assistance. You can see some of these published statistics here for the nation, states, and your community.

Generally, homeownership rates rose in each decade since 1950, except in the 1980s when it remained unchanged ¾ increasing from 55 percent in 1950 to 66 percent in 2000. But, there was considerable variability among different household and housing types.

The local tax assessor/appraiser office keeps data on home sales and may have the information. Go to their website or call them to see what information they have. The county deed recorders office may have the sales price or information that will give you a very good idea of the cost.

By census law, refusal to answer all or part of the census carries a $100 fine. The penalty goes up to $500 for giving false answers. In 1976, Congress eliminated both the possibility of a 60-day prison sentence for noncompliance and a one-year prison term for false answers.

Questions on the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census survey will ask the name, sex, age, date of birth, race/ethnicity, and relationship of everyone in your household. It will also ask if you rent or own your home. You can see each question and how the answers are used on the 2020 Census website.

The Census Bureau will not ask you to provide your personal information via email. The Census Bureau will never ask for your full Social Security number, bank account number, or passwords.

Participation is mandatory, as described in Title 13 of the U.S. Code. Refusal to respond can result in a fine. However, no one has been prosecuted for failing to respond to the census since the 1970 Census.

Is it mandatory to answer census? ›

Yes, your response is required by law. Title 13 United States Code, Sections 131 and 182, authorizes this collection. Sections 224 and 225 require your response. The U.S. Census Bureau is required by Section 9 of the same law to keep your information confidential and can use your responses only to produce statistics.

The 2024 Census Survey will provide insight into how people engaged with the online questionnaire and the invitation materials they received in the mail. This survey was conducted as part of a small-scale testing program aimed at gathering initial data about proposed enhancements for the 2030 Census design.

In 1960, the median home cost $11,900, while the median income was $5,600, indicating a price-to-income ratio of 2.1. By contrast, in 2019 the median home cost $240,500 with an estimated median income of $68,703, a price-to-income ratio of 3.5.

In 1960, FHA mortgages were 4.6%, VA-backed mortgages were 4.5%, and the average mortgage rate was 5.1%.

The number of mortgage-free homes in the U.S. soared by 7.9 million from 2012 to 2022, reaching a total of 33.3 million, per the report.

The term “original value”, with respect to a residential mortgage transaction, means the lesser of the sales price of the property securing the mortgage, as reflected in the contract, or the appraised value at the time at which the subject residential mortgage transaction was consummated.

How much did a home cost in 1900? Depending on many, many factors such as location, age and size, an average home cost between $1,500 and $3,500. Of course, the average size home back then was one fourth the size of the average home built today.