Differences in access to air conditioning in the occupied U.S. housing stock: Findings from the American Housing Survey

Extreme heat events are a growing concern. Cooling equipment in the home is particularly important for reducing the likelihood of negative health impacts caused by extreme heat. Still, relatively limited information has been published regarding the occupied U.S. housing stock’s current air conditioning (AC) coverage. This study used the 2021 American Housing Survey to estimate the prevalence of occupied households living in units with no air conditioning (no AC) and under–air conditioning (under-AC), i.e., room conditioners only. Additional analyses isolated households receiving federal housing assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The results highlight that approximately 8% of all occupied households reported no AC, and approximately 20% live in under-AC units. Among HUD-assisted households, an estimated 12% reported living in units with no AC, and 35% reported living in under-AC units. Important differences in AC prevalence related to household demography, housing characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and geography emerged in this examination of AC status in the occupied housing stock. The findings should be used as a springboard to determine the best way to prepare the nation’s occupied housing stock for increasingly severe and frequent extreme heat events.