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Table HC10.11 Average square footage of Midwest homes, 20151

Release date: October 2017
Revised date: May 2018

Number of housing units (million) Average square footage
per housing unit		 Average square footage
per household member
  Total Midwest2 Total3 Heated4 Cooled4 Total3 Heated Cooled
All homes 26.4 2,278 2,043 1,624 913 819 651
Census division              
East North Central 18.1 2,250 2,051 1,563 885 806 614
West North Central 8.3 2,338 2,024 1,758 981 849 737
Census urban/rural classification5              
Urban 20.7 2,195 1,967 1,575 895 801 642
Urbanized area 17.2 2,219 1,993 1,589 914 821 654
Urban cluster 3.5 2,082 1,839 1,504 807 713 583
Rural 5.6 2,581 2,323 1,806 978 880 685
Metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area              
In metropolitan statistical area 21.3 2,315 2,076 1,648 930 834 662
In micropolitan statistical area 3.3 2,084 1,876 1,507 803 722 580
Not in metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area 1.8 2,192 1,958 1,552 930 831 659
Climate region6              
Very cold/Cold 21.2 2,251 2,062 1,570 904 828 631
Mixed-humid 5.2 2,385 1,965 1,844 950 783 735
Mixed-dry/Hot-dry N N N N N N N
Hot-humid N N N N N N N
Marine N N N N N N N
Housing unit type              
Single-family detached 18.2 2,809 2,480 2,029 1,040 918 751
Single-family attached 1.3 1,944 1,767 1,398 926 841 665
Apartments in buildings with 2-4 units 2.0 1,031 1,031 599 490 490 284
Apartments in buildings with 5 or more units 4.0 865 865 615 469 469 333
Mobile homes 1.0 1,123 1,123 582 431 431 224
Year of construction              
Before 1950 6.2 2,308 1,915 1,248 889 737 480
1950 to 1959 3.3 1,998 1,795 1,395 792 711 553
1960 to 1969 3.0 2,102 1,968 1,521 951 890 688
1970 to 1979 4.0 1,995 1,835 1,423 822 757 587
1980 to 1989 2.7 2,272 2,083 1,831 1,027 942 828
1990 to 1999 3.5 2,464 2,290 2,036 937 871 774
2000 to 2009 3.1 2,750 2,502 2,198 1,037 943 829
2010 to 2015 0.6 2,693 2,434 2,284 976 882 828
Number of stories              
One story 10.6 2,329 2,042 1,637 979 858 688
Two stories 7.5 3,304 2,916 2,397 1,078 952 783
Three or more stories 0.5 2,854 2,674 2,243 1,137 1,066 894
Split level 0.9 3,073 2,869 2,563 1,143 1,067 954
Not asked (apartments and mobile homes) 6.9 948 948 605 468 468 299
Fuels used for any use (more than one may apply)              
Electricity 26.4 2,278 2,043 1,624 913 819 651
Natural gas 19.7 2,386 2,125 1,732 957 852 695
Propane7 2.3 2,736 2,477 1,898 1,037 939 719
Wood 2.4 2,736 2,427 1,826 926 822 618
Fuel oil/kerosene 0.2 2,391 2,136 1,380 777 695 449
Distributed solar generation              
Yes Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
No 20.4 2,674 2,370 1,920 1,006 891 722
Not asked (apartments) 6.0 920 920 609 476 476 316
Main space heating fuel              
Natural gas 18.7 2,433 2,163 1,769 963 856 700
Electricity 5.4 1,630 1,516 1,105 728 677 493
Fuel oil/kerosene Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Propane 1.5 2,669 2,397 1,874 964 866 677
Wood 0.6 2,309 2,122 1,220 753 692 398
Do not use heating equipment N N N N N N N
Type of air-conditioning equipment used (more than one may apply)              
Use central air-conditioning equipment 18.6 2,523 2,279 2,168 1,016 918 873
Use individual air-conditioning units 7.0 1,841 1,602 742 692 602 279
Do not use air-conditioning equipment 2.0 1,748 1,532 0 763 669 0
Fuel used by main water heater              
Natural gas 16.0 2,401 2,133 1,766 961 854 707
Electricity 9.4 2,017 1,835 1,371 823 748 559
Propane 1.0 2,768 2,559 1,734 971 898 609
Fuel oil/kerosene N N N N N N N
Some other fuel Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Indoor light bulbs installed              
Fewer than 20 6.4 1,813 1,615 1,192 860 766 566
20 to 39 7.5 2,037 1,838 1,329 909 821 593
40 to 59 4.6 2,301 2,092 1,690 915 832 672
60 to 79 5.1 2,645 2,349 2,044 946 840 730
80 or more 2.7 3,324 2,970 2,570 947 846 732
Total number of rooms (excluding bathrooms)              
1 or 2 0.9 682 682 507 543 543 404
3 1.9 889 840 509 562 531 321
4 3.3 1,163 1,052 683 565 511 332
5 4.4 1,786 1,579 1,157 830 734 538
6 4.9 2,273 2,005 1,556 869 767 595
7 3.9 2,630 2,362 1,876 1,001 900 714
8 2.9 2,993 2,639 2,131 1,032 910 735
9 or more 4.3 3,754 3,417 3,034 1,142 1,039 923
Number of bedrooms              
0 0.5 730 692 628 590 559 507
1 2.4 885 844 566 621 592 397
2 6.8 1,486 1,356 918 704 642 435
3 10.8 2,536 2,249 1,772 1,005 892 703
4 4.7 3,392 3,032 2,659 1,031 921 808
5 or more 1.2 3,613 3,254 2,852 899 810 710
Have a basement              
Yes 15.3 3,004 2,610 2,112 1,093 950 768
Finished basement 9.2 3,099 2,784 2,367 1,113 1,000 850
Unfinished basement 6.1 2,863 2,350 1,731 1,062 872 642
No 4.1 1,818 1,776 1,526 779 761 654
Not asked (apartments and mobile homes) 6.9 948 948 605 468 468 299
Adequacy of insulation              
Well insulated 8.0 2,600 2,345 1,953 1,065 960 800
Adequately insulated 13.7 2,210 1,982 1,604 894 802 649
Poorly insulated 4.6 1,941 1,718 1,130 727 643 423
No insulation Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Type of glass in windows              
Single-pane glass 8.7 1,846 1,629 1,097 755 667 449
Double-pane glass 17.2 2,499 2,254 1,888 991 893 748
Triple-pane glass 0.5 2,164 1,979 1,717 928 849 736
Number of household members              
1 member 6.9 1,668 1,526 1,122 1,668 1,526 1,122
2 members 9.7 2,355 2,110 1,705 1,178 1,055 852
3 members 3.9 2,457 2,201 1,789 819 734 596
4 members 3.4 2,743 2,471 2,108 686 618 527
5 members 1.5 2,718 2,445 1,902 544 489 380
6 or more members 1.0 2,770 2,255 1,560 404 329 228
2015 annual household income              
Less than $20,000 4.6 1,443 1,290 735 685 612 349
$20,000 to $39,999 6.6 1,904 1,709 1,245 888 797 581
$40,000 to $59,999 4.2 2,186 1,929 1,500 938 828 644
$60,000 to $79,999 3.9 2,434 2,181 1,677 920 825 634
$80,000 to $99,999 2.3 2,566 2,334 2,015 909 827 714
$100,000 to $119,999 1.6 3,261 2,902 2,777 978 870 833
$120,000 to $139,999 1.2 3,150 2,853 2,526 1,024 927 821
$140,000 or more 1.9 3,702 3,361 3,197 1,160 1,053 1,002
Ownership of housing unit8              
Owned 17.8 2,732 2,448 2,024 1,086 973 805
Rented 8.6 1,342 1,208 800 548 493 327
1Housing characteristics data were collected between August 2015 and April 2016.
2Total Midwest includes all primary occupied housing units in the Midwest Census Region. Vacant housing units, seasonal units, second homes, military houses, and group quarters are excluded.
3Total square footage includes all basements, finished or conditioned (heated or cooled) areas of attics, and conditioned garage space that is attached to the home. Unconditioned and unfinished areas in attics and attached garages are excluded. The square footage for some housing units was calculated based on measurements taken by the interviewer. For households responding without the presence of an interviewer, square footage was imputed based on characteristics of the housing unit. See 2015 RECS Square Footage Methodology for full details about data collection and processing.
4When calculating average heated and cooled square footage all housing units are considered, including those that are not heated or cooled.
5Housing units are classified using criteria created by the U.S. Census Bureau based on 2010 Census data. Urbanized areas are densely settled groupings of blocks or tracts with 50,000 or more people, while urban clusters have at least 2,500 but less than 50,000 people. All other areas are rural.
6These climate regions were created by the Building America program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
7Households that use propane only for outdoor grilling are excluded from the RECS estimate of households using propane.         
8Rented includes households that occupy their primary housing units without paying rent.

Q = Data withheld because either the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50% or fewer than 10 cases responded.
N = No cases responded.

Notes:  Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. See RECS Terminology for definition of terms used in these tables.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Consumption and Efficiency Statistics, Forms EIA-457A and EIA-457C of the 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.