These accessible housing figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.
Key Accessible Housing Statistics
The main findings are:
- About 50.2 million occupied U.S. housing units were aging-ready in 2019, equal to 40.4% of 124.1 million units (United States occupied housing units).
- A step-free entryway was present in 53.6% of U.S. occupied housing units (2019).
- New England had a 33.6% step-free-entry share (2019).
- Ramps were present in 5.1% of occupied U.S. housing units (2019).
- About 11.2 million older Americans reported serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs in 2019 (United States older population).
- Seventy-five percent of adults age 50 and older wanted to remain in their current home as they aged (2024 survey).
- New England had the lowest aging-ready share among the listed Census divisions at 19.6% (2019).
- Single-floor homes accounted for 51.4% of occupied U.S. housing units (2019).
- The Mid-Atlantic had a 47.6% step-free-entry share (2019; Middle Atlantic).
- Chair, stair, or platform lifts were present in 1.0% of occupied U.S. housing units (2019).
- Among the oldest households, 44.5% reported difficulty walking or climbing stairs (2019).
- Seventy-three percent of adults age 50 and older wanted to remain in their current community as they aged (2024 survey).
- The West South Central division had the highest aging-ready share at 61.6% (2019).
- Among multistory units, 45.8% had a bedroom on the entry level (2019).
- The East North Central division had a 39.9% step-free-entry share (2019).
Contents
- Key Accessible Housing Statistics
- Accessible housing statistics: how many U.S. homes are aging-ready
- Accessible housing data on step-free entries and first-floor living
- Accessible housing statistics by U.S. region and home layout
- Mobility features and bathroom-related accessibility in housing statistics
- Older households, disability-related difficulty, and unmet accessible housing needs
- Accessible housing adoption, planned modifications, and aging-in-place preferences
Accessible housing statistics: how many U.S. homes are aging-ready
- About 50.2 million occupied U.S. housing units were aging-ready in 2019, equal to 40.4% of 124.1 million units (United States occupied housing units). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- New England had the lowest aging-ready share among the listed Census divisions at 19.6% (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The West South Central division had the highest aging-ready share at 61.6% (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The South region had 48.0% aging-ready homes, compared with 27.0% in the Northeast region (2019; U.S. Census regions). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The Midwest had 34.6% aging-ready homes and the West had 47.2% (2019; U.S. Census regions). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
Census definition requires a step-free entryway plus a bedroom and full bathroom on the first floor; it excludes many other accessibility features.
AHS estimate; aging-ready uses the report’s three-feature definition.
AHS estimate; regional differences partly reflect building type and population needs.
Regions aggregate divisions with different housing stock and survey estimates.
AHS estimate using the report’s aging-ready definition.
Accessible housing data on step-free entries and first-floor living
- A step-free entryway was present in 53.6% of U.S. occupied housing units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Single-floor homes accounted for 51.4% of occupied U.S. housing units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Among multistory units, 45.8% had a bedroom on the entry level (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Among multistory units, 57.4% had a full bathroom on the entry level (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Among multistory units, 43.2% had both a bedroom and a full bathroom on the entry level (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Only 19.6% of New England occupied units met the report’s aging-ready definition, versus 61.6% in West South Central (2019; New England and West South Central). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
AHS feature measure; step-free entry does not by itself make a home aging-ready.
AHS estimate; single-floor layout is one design feature, not a complete accessibility standard.
AHS estimate for multistory units.
AHS estimate; this is a layout measure and does not include a step-free entrance in this row.
Regional comparison from one AHS year; definitions are report-specific.
Accessible housing statistics by U.S. region and home layout
- New England had a 33.6% step-free-entry share (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The Mid-Atlantic had a 47.6% step-free-entry share (2019; Middle Atlantic). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The East North Central division had a 39.9% step-free-entry share (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The West North Central division had a 49.3% step-free-entry share (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The South Atlantic division had a 58.0% step-free-entry share (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The East South Central division had a 56.0% step-free-entry share (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The West South Central division had a 69.1% step-free-entry share (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The Mountain division had a 57.7% step-free-entry share (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The Pacific division had a 59.8% step-free-entry share (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Single-floor homes represented 29.2% of units in New England and 76.4% in West South Central (2019; New England and West South Central). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The share of new U.S. homes built with two or more stories rose from 23% in 1975 to 52% in 2019 (1975 and 2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The share of new U.S. homes with two or more stories peaked at 59% in 2013 and was 51% in 2021 (2013 and 2021). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
AHS estimate.
AHS estimates; building-type mix differs by division.
This is new-construction form, not the accessibility of all homes; the report cites Census construction data.
Construction trend; not a direct measure of accessible housing.
Mobility features and bathroom-related accessibility in housing statistics
- Ramps were present in 5.1% of occupied U.S. housing units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Chair, stair, or platform lifts were present in 1.0% of occupied U.S. housing units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Ramps were reported in 4.8% of New England occupied units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Ramps were reported in 7.2% of South Atlantic occupied units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Ramps were reported in 3.8% of Mountain occupied units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Chair, stair, or platform lifts were reported in 1.4% of New England occupied units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Chair, stair, or platform lifts were reported in 0.3% of South Atlantic occupied units (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- The 2019 AHS accessibility module found 13% of U.S. households included someone using a mobility-assistive device. (Accessibility in Housing: Findings from…)
- The 2019 AHS accessibility module found 19% of U.S. households included an individual with accessibility needs. (Accessibility in Housing: Findings from…)
AHS feature measure; it does not indicate whether a ramp meets a particular code or need.
AHS feature measure.
AHS estimate.
Household module measure; mobility-assistive-device use is not the same as a Census disability determination.
HUD summary measure; accessibility needs were reported for the household and are broader than any single feature.
Older households, disability-related difficulty, and unmet accessible housing needs
- About 11.2 million older Americans reported serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs in 2019 (United States older population). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Among the oldest households, 44.5% reported difficulty walking or climbing stairs (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Only 2.8% of older households without a first-floor bedroom and full bathroom reported having those rooms on the first floor in the relevant comparison (2019). (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
- Over half of older households—about 57%—reported that their home met their accessibility needs very well or well in the 2019 AHS analysis. (Aging-Ready Homes in the United…)
Serious difficulty is a Census disability measure; it is not a count of all people who could benefit from accessible design.
Subgroup estimate; the report’s oldest-household category should be retained when published.
The PDF passage reports this comparison in the context of older households lacking first-floor rooms; do not interpret it as the share of all older households.
Perception measure; the report identifies a gap between perceived adequacy and observed aging-ready features.
Accessible housing adoption, planned modifications, and aging-in-place preferences
- Seventy-five percent of adults age 50 and older wanted to remain in their current home as they aged (2024 survey). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
- Seventy-three percent of adults age 50 and older wanted to remain in their current community as they aged (2024 survey). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
- Forty-four percent of adults age 50 and older expected to relocate at some point (2024 survey). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
- Forty-three percent of adults age 50 and older said they would need to make their homes more accessible as they aged (2024 survey). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
- Among adults planning home modifications, 72% anticipated bathroom changes such as grab bars or no-slip tile (2024 survey; United States adults age 50+). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
- Among adults planning home modifications, 71% anticipated easier entry or movement around the home, such as ramps, chairlifts, or wider doorways (2024 survey; United States adults age 50+). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
- Thirty-nine percent of adults age 50 and older who anticipated modifications identified kitchen upgrades as a planned change (2024 survey; United States adults age 50+). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
- Seventy-two percent of adults age 50 and older said trustworthy, high-quality contractors were extremely important in their community (2024 survey). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
- Sixty percent of adults age 18–49 said their community met their needs very or extremely well, compared with 71% of adults age 50+ (2024 survey). (2024 Home & Community Preferences…)
AARP survey preference, not observed residence; survey included 3,090 adults age 18+ and was fielded June 17-July 1, 2024.
Preference measure, not an accessibility inventory.
Expectation is not a recorded move; survey wording and weighting should be preserved.
Self-reported anticipated need, not completed modification rate.
Conditional percentage; it is not 72% of all adults age 50+ and does not measure installation completion.
Conditional anticipated-change measure; examples are respondent plans, not verified features.
Conditional survey result; kitchen upgrades are not equivalent to a formal accessibility standard.
Importance rating, not contractor availability or completed renovation volume.
Self-reported community satisfaction; age-group comparison from the 2024 survey.