6.5 million AHS 2023
± 0.3 million (90% CI) 4.8% of occupied homes Homes with physical inadequacies
Occupied homes the Census classifies as moderately or severely physically inadequate.
2021: 6.7 million
Maintenance cost · system lifespans · 3 federal datasets
U.S. Home Maintenance Statistics (2026)
What home maintenance costs, how long home systems last, and how often homes need repairs. Cost and life-expectancy benchmarks sit alongside 28 federal statistics on home condition, systems, value and age — each number drawn from the most precise source that measures it, with its provenance shown.
What home maintenance costs
The "average" cost depends entirely on what you count. Here are three honest answers: a modeled full-service estimate, what owners actually report spending, and the budgeting rules of thumb — each labeled and sourced.
Modeled estimate $10,946/yr Modeled annual maintenance Estimated cost to professionally maintain a typical U.S. home's systems, appliances and grounds across 17 common care categories. Zillow & Thumbtack, 2025
Self-reported survey $2,041/yr Self-reported annual maintenance What homeowners say they actually spent on maintenance in 2025, up from $1,750 in 2024. Excludes emergency repairs and improvements. Angi, 2025
Self-reported survey $1,143/yr Self-reported emergency repairs Average unplanned / emergency repair spend in 2025, up from $978 in 2024. Angi, 2025
Modeled estimate $15,979/yr Total "hidden" annual ownership cost Maintenance ($10,946) plus property taxes ($3,030) and homeowners insurance ($2,003) — about $1,325 a month on top of a mortgage payment. Zillow & Thumbtack, 2025
1%–3% of home value per year
Common budgeting rule of thumb — a planning heuristic, not a measured figure.
$1 per square foot per year
The "square-footage rule" some owners use to set a maintenance budget.
$513B / yr
Spent nationally on home improvements & repairs (Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2025).
Highest total ownership cost, by metro
- New York, NY
- $24,381/yr
- San Francisco, CA
- $22,781/yr
- Boston, MA
- $21,320/yr
Total hidden cost, over time
- 2017
- $9,080/yr
- 2023
- $14,155/yr
- 2025
- $15,979/yr
Cost figures are industry estimates — a modeled full-service cost (Zillow × Thumbtack) and self-reported survey spend (Angi) — not federal survey measurements. Metro and trend figures are total annual "hidden" ownership cost (maintenance plus property taxes and insurance).
How long home systems last
Estimated service life of 33 common home systems and components — the backbone of any replacement budget. Figures are general guidance from InterNACHI; actual life varies with usage, climate, installation and upkeep.
Heating & cooling
- Furnace
- 15–25 yrs
- Heat pump
- 10–15 yrs
- Central air conditioner
- 7–15 yrs
- Window air conditioner
- 5–7 yrs
- Boiler
- 40 yrs
- Thermostat
- 35 yrs
Plumbing & water
- Water heater (tank)
- 6–12 yrs
- Tankless water heater
- 10 yrs
- Water softener
- 20 yrs
- Sump pump
- 7 yrs
- Faucets
- 15–20 yrs
Roof
- Asphalt shingles (3-tab)
- 20 yrs
- Asphalt shingles (architectural)
- 30 yrs
- Slate roof
- 60–150 yrs
- Clay / concrete tile roof
- 100+ yrs
Exterior & grounds
- Vinyl siding
- 60 yrs
- Aluminum siding
- 25–40+ yrs
- Aluminum gutters
- 20–40+ yrs
- Galvanized steel gutters
- 20 yrs
- Caulking (interior & exterior)
- 5–10 yrs
- Asphalt driveway
- 15–20 yrs
Appliances & openings
- Refrigerator
- 9–13 yrs
- Dishwasher
- 9 yrs
- Clothes dryer
- 13 yrs
- Garbage disposal
- 12 yrs
- Garage door
- 20–25 yrs
- Garage door opener
- 10–15 yrs
- Vinyl / fiberglass windows
- 20–40 yrs
Flooring & safety
- Carpet
- 8–10 yrs
- Laminate flooring
- 15–25 yrs
- Wood flooring
- 100+ yrs
- Smoke / heat detectors
- under 10 yrs
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- 5 yrs
Defects & damage
Physical problems homes reported in the last year.
11.8 million AHS 2023
± 0.4 million (90% CI) 8.8% of occupied homes Homes with water leaks from outside
Homes reporting any leak from outside (roof, walls, windows, basement, or foundation) in the last 12 months.
2021: 11.4 million
3.9 million AHS 2023
± 0.2 million (90% CI) 3% of occupied homes Homes with mold
Homes reporting visible mold in at least one room in the last 12 months.
2021: 3.8 million
| Metric | Latest | Source | Prior & cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes with water leaks from inside 8.4% of occupied homes | 11.2 million ± 0.4 million | AHS 2023 | 2021: 10.5 million |
| Homes with peeling paint 2.2% of occupied homes | 2.9 million ± 0.2 million | AHS 2023 | 2021: 2.8 million |
| Homes with foundation or wall cracks 8.2% of occupied homes | 11.0 million ± 0.4 million | AHS 2023 | 2021: 11.0 million |
| Homes lacking complete plumbing 0.5 million occupied homes | 0.4% ± 0 pp | ACS 2024 | |
| Overcrowded homes 4.7 million occupied homes | 3.5% ± 0 pp | ACS 2024 |
Systems & utilities
The equipment a home runs on — and when it fails.
93.1% AHS 2023
124.0 million occupied homes Homes with air conditioning
Homes with central air conditioning or one or more room units.
2021: 92.4% EIA RECS 2020: 88.7%
5.1% AHS 2023
6.8 million occupied homes Homes with solar panels
Homes with solar panels installed on the property.
2021: 3.8% EIA RECS 2020: 4%
18.5% AHS 2023
24.6 million occupied homes Homes on a septic system
Homes whose wastewater is handled by a septic tank or cesspool — a maintenance job that falls on the owner.
2021: 15.2%
| Metric | Latest | Source | Prior & cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes heated with electricity 55.5 million occupied homes | 41.8% ± 0.1 pp | ACS 2024 | |
| Homes on well water 13.9 million occupied homes | 10.4% | AHS 2023 | 2021: 10.7% |
| Homes that were uncomfortably cold 7.8% of occupied homes | 10.0 million ± 0.4 million | AHS 2023 | 2021: 11.4 million |
| Homes with blown fuses or tripped breakers 7.8% of occupied homes | 10.4 million ± 0.4 million | AHS 2023 | 2021: 10.2 million |
| Homes with toilet breakdowns 1.7% of occupied homes | 2.3 million ± 0.2 million | AHS 2023 | 2021: 2.5 million |
Pests
Homes reporting signs of rodents or insects.
15.7 million AHS 2023
± 0.4 million (90% CI) 11.8% of occupied homes Homes with signs of rodents
Homes reporting signs of mice or rats in the last 12 months.
2021: 15.3 million
15.7 million AHS 2023
± 0.4 million (90% CI) 11.8% of occupied homes Homes with signs of cockroaches
Homes reporting signs of cockroaches in the last 12 months.
2021: 14.5 million
Ownership & cost
Who owns, who rents, and what housing costs.
65.3% ACS 2024
± 0.2 pp (90% CI) 86.6 million occupied homes Homeownership rate
Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied rather than rented.
$360,600 ACS 2024
± $618 (90% CI) owner-occupied homes Median home value
Median value of owner-occupied homes (owner's estimate of sale price).
2021: $290,141 AHS 2023: $347,582
| Metric | Latest | Source | Prior & cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owners with a mortgage 51.7 million owner-occupied homes | 59.7% ± 0.1 pp | ACS 2024 | |
| Median gross rent renter-occupied homes | $1,487 ± $3 | ACS 2024 |
Home age, size & structure
How old, how big, and how the housing stock is built.
1981 ACS 2024
all housing units Median year built
Median construction year across all U.S. housing units.
47.1% ACS 2024
± 0.2 pp (90% CI) 40.8 million owner-occupied homes Owner-occupied homes built before 1980
Owner-occupied homes built in 1979 or earlier — at least 44 years old.
2021: 49.5% AHS 2023: 48.6%
61.1% ACS 2024
± 0.1 pp (90% CI) 89.6 million all housing units Single-family detached homes
Share of all housing units that are single-family detached houses.
| Metric | Latest | Source | Prior & cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied homes built before 1940 9.6 million owner-occupied homes | 11% | AHS 2023 | 2021: 11% ACS 2024: 10.6% |
| Median rooms per home occupied homes | 5.5 | ACS 2024 | 2021: 6 AHS 2023: 6 |
| Median years in the home owner-occupied homes | 11 years | AHS 2023 | 2021: 12 years |
Cite this page
Writing about U.S. housing? You're welcome to cite these statistics — each links to its primary source. A link back here is appreciated.
Real Estate Ledger, "U.S. Home Maintenance Statistics (2026)," compiled from ACS 2024, AHS 2023, EIA RECS 2020, plus Zillow & Thumbtack, Angi, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, InterNACHI; updated June 2, 2026. https://realestateledger.io/home-maintenance-statistics Licensed under CC BY 4.0 — free to use, including commercially, with attribution. Please credit “Real Estate Ledger” and link back to this page.
Methodology & sources
This page is data-centric: no single survey is the base. For each metric we select the most precise federal source that measures it, then attach another source as an independent cross-check only when it measures the same thing on the same population (universe). We never blend an owner-occupied figure with an all-occupied one, or a 2020 reading with a 2023 one — mismatched readings are kept apart, not averaged.
Counts and rates are weighted national estimates. ACS figures carry the Census Bureau's official 90% margins of error; AHS figures use the Census Generalized Variance Function. Each source is used at its latest available vintage. Where a prior survey wave exists, the earlier value is shown as a trend. Self-checks confirm each survey's weighted totals reproduce published housing-unit counts before anything ships.
Maintenance cost and component life-expectancy figures come from outside the federal surveys and are labeled as such: modeled and self-reported industry estimates (Zillow & Thumbtack, Angi), a remodeling-spend indicator (Harvard JCHS), and an industry-standard service-life chart (InterNACHI). They are estimates and general guidance, not weighted survey measurements.
Federal datasets
- ACS 2024 American Community Survey 2024 (1-year) — U.S. Census Bureau · ~3.5M housing units · margins of error
- AHS 2023 American Housing Survey 2023 (National) — U.S. Census Bureau · 48,527 occupied homes · margins of error
- EIA RECS 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020 — U.S. Energy Information Administration · 124M housing units
Cost, spending & life-expectancy sources
- Industry estimate Hidden Costs of Homeownership — Zillow & Thumbtack, 2025 · Modeled annual cost of professionally maintaining a typical home (17 care categories) plus property taxes and insurance.
- Industry survey 2025 State of Home Spending — Angi, 2025 · Self-reported spending from a national survey of U.S. homeowners.
- Academic research Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) — Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2025 · Quarterly estimate and forecast of national owner improvement and repair spending.
- Industry standard Standard Estimated Life Expectancy Chart for Homes — InterNACHI, 2024 · Estimated service-life guidelines compiled by the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. General guidance, not a guarantee; actual life varies with usage, climate, installation and maintenance.
Most homes will hit one of these. Be the one with a record.
Leaks, aging systems and deferred repairs are normal — undocumented ones cost you at resale and at claim time. Real Estate Ledger keeps every repair, warranty and inspection linked to your property, so your home's condition is always provable.
Get started free