cost of utilities

Hello. I seek data for the cost of utilities (housing). Ideas? Thank you!

  • Apparently the ACS has some new (2021 5 year data) tables with various monthly household costs

    B25132-B25135

    https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/table-and-geography-changes/2021/5-year.html

    the data is in dollars and it is "binned" into categories.  If you want a percent of household income or percent of household expenses  you can't divide using this data.  The ratio of averages is not the average of the ratios.

    If you want to do things for a PUMA then you can use the PUMS data to do the division on individual records.  PUMS codebook:   https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/tech_docs/pums/data_dict/PUMS_Data_Dictionary_2021.pdf   ELEP electricity cost (monthly)   GASP gas cost (monthly)  FULP fuel cost (other than gas or electric).   ELEFP (is fuel included in condo cost etc)   Don't forget the inflation adjustment factor ADJHSE   and there are others (income, total housing costs  HFL heating fuel, etc. There are many variables associated with housing costs.  

    Dave

  • A little background on other surveys. Just to comment on BEA and BLS stats. None of their surveys have anything close to the coverage of the ACS data.  Often the BLS (bureau of labor statistics) and the BEA (bureau of economic analysis) use the ACS data in their calculations, as do many other departments that compile stats.  The current population survey (CPS) collects useful stats but they have a smaller coverage than the ACS. For business stats, In conjunction with the Department of Commerce the Census (ABS Annual Business Survey) conducts a business survey (I know because I get the survey). They have a pretty large sample size but maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the ACS sample size.

    Dave

  • There are several sources for data on the cost of utilities for housing. Here are a few options:

    1. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides data on average energy costs by state and by type of energy (electricity, natural gas, etc.).

    2. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides data on average household expenses, including utilities, by region and by household size.

    3. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) provides data on average energy costs for different types of households, such as single-family homes, apartments, and mobile homes.

    4. Local utility companies often provide data on average energy usage and costs for customers in their service area.

    5. Some real estate websites also provide cost of utilities information for specific properties or areas.

    These are just a few options to get you started. It would be best if you could provide more specific information on the location you are looking for data on.