In 2002, Iowa ranked 6th in the nation in the number of housing units that are family owned and occupied. There were 1,257,184 housing units in Iowa, of which 1,145,564 were occupied; 72.7% were owner-occupied. About 74% of all units were single-family, detached homes. About 32.9% of all units were built in 1939 or earlier. Most households relied on utility gas and electricity for heating. It was estimated that 29,729 lacked telephone service, 5,452 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 7,137 lacked complete kitchen facilities. Average household size was 2.57 people.
In 2002, 14,789 privately owned housing units were authorized for construction. Median home value was $88,176 (one of the six lowest values in the nation). The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $879. Renters paid a median of $498 per month. During fiscal year 2002, Iowa received over $66.7 million in community planning and development aid from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.