The AHS contains a wide variety of information that can be used by professionals in many fields for planning, decision making, market research, or various kinds of program development.
The AHS uses a longitudinal sample, which means that the Census Bureau goes back to the same housing unit with each new survey.
HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau publish lengthy reports from each national and metropolitan survey.
[4] In addition, both HUD and the Census Bureau offer public use files containing the responses from individual housing units, after removing any information that might identify respondents.
The U.S. Census Bureau worked with HUD to convert this idea into a full-fledged survey—complete with sampling frame, questionnaires, and survey procedures.
From 1983 to the present time, the Census Bureau conducted the AHS national survey every two years.
With each new survey, the Census Bureau updates the sample it uses for additions to the stock from new construction or other sources.
Questions in the AHS are frequently updated to reflect the changes in society, demographics, and economic patterns.