Frequently Asked Questions

Is HomeDataUSA a listings site like Zillow or Redfin?

No. There are no individual properties or price estimates here. HomeDataUSA is government statistics about housing in an area: typical rent, typical home value, how much of local income goes to housing, how much new housing is being permitted, and how prices have moved over time.

Where do the numbers come from?

Rent, home values, ownership rates, vacancy and the age of the housing stock come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Fair Market Rents come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The house price index comes from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. New-construction figures come from the Census Building Permits Survey.

How is the affordability ('price-to-income') number calculated?

It is the median home value divided by the median household income for the same place — the standard 'median multiple' measure. A ratio of 5 means the typical home costs about five years of typical household income. We compute it from two published Census figures and publish the method openly; it is not a proprietary score.

What is 'rent burden'?

Annualized median gross rent as a share of median household income. It approximates how much of a typical renter household's income goes to rent. It is a derived figure, not a direct Census statistic.

How current is the data?

ACS estimates are released once a year and cover a rolling five-year window, so they lag the current market by one to two years and should not be read as today's asking prices. HUD Fair Market Rents and FHFA price indexes update annually.

Is HomeDataUSA affiliated with the Census Bureau, HUD or FHFA?

No. It is an independent reference site built on public-domain U.S. government data and is not endorsed by or affiliated with any agency.

Full detail on sources and methods is on the About the Data page.