United States
Northeast
Midwest
South
West
1
1
1
1
2
3
4
4
2
3
45
35
18
25
20
47
38
18
6
68
54
29
32
20
Steady Decline Since 1940 in Homes
Lacking Complete Plumbing Facilities
Percent of Housing Units Lacking Complete
Plumbing Facilities, by Region: 1940 to 1990
7
11
2
1
12
10
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
The Census Bureau conducts a census of population and housing
every 10 years. This bulletin is one of a series that shows the
questions asked in the 1990 census and the answers that you, the
American people, gave. Each bulletin focuses on a question or
group of questions appearing on the 1990 census questionnaires.
Census Trivia: According to the 1990 census, which
State had the highest percentage of homes lacking
complete plumbing facilities? (Answer on reverse.)
Bureau of the Census
Census Questionnaire Content, 1990 CQC-25
We asked...
You told us
Complete Plumbing
and Kitchen Facilities
Complete Plumbing Facilities
In question H10 on the 1990 census forms, we asked people
to tell us if the house or apartment where they lived had complete
plumbing facilities. You told us only 1 percent of all housing units in
the United States lacked complete plumbing facilities; that is, they did not
have hot and cold piped water, a flush toilet, and a bathtub or shower.
Availability of Plumbing Facilities Has Improved Over Time
The presence of complete plumbing facilities has been a major indicator of
housing quality in the United States for the past five decades. When
measured in these terms, the quality of housing has improved dramatically
since 1940, when 45 percent of all housing units lacked complete plumbing
facilities.
The regions have followed the same trend (see bar chart). Between 1940 and
1990, the percentage of housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities
declined substantially for each region.
In 1940, 68 percent of the homes in the South lacked complete plumbing
facilities, compared with 47 percent in the Midwest, 32 percent in the West,
and 25 percent in the Northeast. The South had c