A housing unit occupied as the usual place of residence of a person or group of Persons living in it at the time of enumeration, or by occupants only temporarily absent such as on vacation. A household consists of all the persons who occupy a housing unit as their usual place of residence. If all the persons staying in the unit at the time of enumeration have their usual place of residence elsewhere, the unit is classified as vacant. Complete count figures on households and occupied housing units should match--although sample estimates of households and occupied housing units may differ because of weighting.

A housing unit with no one living in it at the time of enumeration, unless its occupants are only temporarily absent. If, at the time of enumeration, the unit is temporarily occupied solely by persons who have a usual residence elsewhere, it is also classified as vacant.

New units not yet occupied are classified as vacant housing units if construction has reached a point where all exterior windows and doors are installed and final usable floors are in place.

Vacant units are excluded if open to the elements; that is, if the roof, walls, windows, or doors no longer protect the interior from the elements, or if there is positive evidence (such as a sign on the house or in the block) that the unit is to be demolished or is condemned. Also excluded are quarters being used entirely for nonresidential purposes, such as a store or an office, or quarters used for the storage of business supplies or inventory, machinery, or agricultural products.

Similar data have been collected since 1940.

See also: "Vacancy Status".