HOUSING
Nearly 2.8 million of the country’s 12 million dwellings were destroyed
or made uninhabitable as a result of World War II. In the
early 1950s, there were 10 million dwellings available for 17 million
households. From 1949 to 1978, over 18 million housing units
were built, a construction rate of over 500,000 a year; since then,
new construction has slowed, averaging 357,000 new units annually
during the period 1980–85. Over 4.2 million housing units
were built in 1991 or later (excluding residential homes).
Over half of the population live in residential buildings of three
or more dwelling units. Nearly 98% of all dwelling units are in such
multi-unit residential buildings; of these, about 42.6% are owner
occupied. About 69% of the dwelling units in residential buildings
have central heating systems. Gas and oil are the most common
energy sources. In 2002, there was a total of about 38,957,100
dwelling units nationwide; only 254,900 were residential homes.
Th e average number of persons per household is 2.2.