Brief Overall Description of the Dataset:
The Manufactured Homes Survey (MHS) is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). MHS produces monthly regional estimates of the new manufactured home average sales prices and more detailed annual estimates including selected characteristics of new manufactured homes. The statistics on shipments of new manufactured homes are produced by the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) and published by the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI).
Data collected include manufacturer’s date of shipment, sales price, placement location (state and county)http://www.census.gov/construction/mhs/methodology.html, how titled, and home physical characteristics such as foundation, number of bedrooms and floor area.
Monthly survey results are placed on the Census website and include monthly average sales price estimates based off shipment month by geographical region and size of home. Annual data for average sales price are available by state. Annual manufactured homes data on selected characteristics by location and type of home placed, and detailed price data on units sold are also available.
See documentation here: http://www.census.gov/construction/mhs/methodology.html
Link: http://www.census.gov/construction/mhs/mhsindex.html
Date Inventory Completed: 7/10/2015
Screening
- Is the data collected opinion-based?
- Is the data collection recurring (must be collected at least annually)?
- Is there data available for 2013?
- Is the data collected at the property or housing unit level?
- Can we access the data by August 15th?
Purpose
What is the purpose of the organization collecting the data?
HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination, and transform the way HUD does business.
Why is it collected and how does the organization use it?
To provide current monthly estimates of new manufactured (mobile) homes sold for residential use and intended for sale for residential use. The United States Code, Title 13, authorizes this survey and provides for voluntary responses. The Department of Housing and Urban Development funds this survey.
Who else uses the data?
“The Bureau of Economic Analysis uses the data as an input to estimates of residential fixed investment. The Department of Housing and Urban Development uses the data to monitor total new housing production and its affordability. Trade associations use the data for housing market analysis. Manufacturers and their suppliers use the estimates to monitor trends in prices and characteristics (e.g., floor area, number of bedrooms). Trade publications cite estimates in articles.”
Who do they sell the data to?
Free
Method
What is the data collection method?
Survey: A sample of newly manufactured homes is selected from lists obtained from the Institute for Building Technology and Safety. A mail-out and telephone interview survey of dealers covering an inventory of some 405 sampled new manufactured homes is conducted each month. Dealers that take shipment of the selected homes are mailed a survey form for recording the status of the manufactured home. During the survey month, the dealer is contacted by telephone and provides status information on the home. Contact to dealers will be made during the one month the unit is being surveyed. From the sampled data average sales price is estimated.
What is the type of data collected?
Designed collection
If designed, who created the questions?
The Census Bureau, who also conducts the survey
What is the raw source of the collected data (prior to any aggregation)?
Survey result. Survey can be found here: http://www.census.gov/construction/mhs/pdf/cmh9a.pdf
Description
What is the general topic of the data (1-2 words)?
New manufactured homes
What are the earliest and latest dates for which data is available?
1979 - present
Is data collected and available periodically?
Monthly
Data collection begins about 4 months after each shipment month and continues for about 11 business days. Reported data covers any change in status since the sampled home was shipped until data collection ends.
How soon after a reference period ends can a data source be prepared and provided?
Unknown
Selectivity
What is the universe (e.g., population) that the data represents?
All new manufactured homes that have received a Federal inspection (i.e., HUD-code homes).
Accessibility
- How is the data accessed?
Direct download from website
- Is it open data?
Yes
Any legal, regulatory, or administrative restrictions on accessing the data source?
None stated
Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?
Free
Does this dataset appear to meet our needs for the Census study? NO
Explanation: Data is only available at the state level or region.