Homes built before 1940 by state (2024)

Homes built before 1940 by state

Massachusetts has the highest estimate (30.2%); Nevada has the lowest (0.9%). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-year, 2024.

Data year: 2024Source released Sept. 11, 2025Last updated Oct. 23, 2026GCT2503

50 ranked states; DC and Puerto Rico appear as reference rows where the source supplies them. Highest does not mean best. Ranks reflect point estimates; close values may not differ statistically.

State distribution and comparisons

The middle of the 50-state distribution is 10.4%: the average of the 25th and 26th ordered state estimates. This treats each state equally, so it answers a different question from a population-weighted national estimate.

One other state is statistically tied with Massachusetts at 90% confidence: New York. This is not a confidence interval for rank, and testing multiple pairs increases false-positive risk.

See the top ten estimates with their 90% margins of error

Shared axis spans the complete 50-state estimate ± MOE range. Intervals describe individual estimates; overlapping intervals alone are not our significance test.

How does this compare with homes built in 2020 or later?

These states’ ranks change the most between homes built before 1940 and homes built in 2020 or later. These comparisons identify different questions worth investigating; a rank gap does not measure a causal effect or a statistical difference between unlike units.

State	Homes built before 1940	Homes built in 2020 or later
New York	30.1% · #2	1.5% · #48
Rhode Island	27.3% · #3	1.5% · #48
Nevada	0.9% · #50	6.4% · #6

Homes built before 1940 · 2024 · Percent
Rank	State / jurisdiction	Value	90% margin of error	Difference from previous rank
1	Massachusetts	30.2%	± 0.5%	Highest estimate
2	New York	30.1%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
3	Rhode Island	27.3%	± 1.3%	Different at 90%
4	Pennsylvania	24.8%	± 0.3%	Different at 90%
5	Iowa	22.4%	± 0.4%	Different at 90%
5	Maine	22.4%	± 0.9%	Not distinguishable at 90%
7	Vermont	22.0%	± 1.1%	Not distinguishable at 90%
8	Connecticut	20.5%	± 0.7%	Different at 90%
9	Illinois	20.0%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
10	Ohio	18.8%	± 0.3%	Different at 90%
11	Nebraska	18.4%	± 0.6%	Not distinguishable at 90%
12	New Hampshire	18.2%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
13	Wisconsin	17.5%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
14	New Jersey	17.2%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
15	Indiana	15.8%	± 0.4%	Different at 90%
16	Kansas	15.5%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
17	Minnesota	15.3%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
18	West Virginia	14.6%	± 0.6%	Different at 90%
19	Michigan	14.5%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
20	South Dakota	14.1%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
21	Missouri	13.0%	± 0.3%	Different at 90%
22	Montana	12.0%	± 0.7%	Different at 90%
23	Wyoming	10.7%	± 1.0%	Different at 90%
24	North Dakota	10.6%	± 0.7%	Not distinguishable at 90%
25	Oregon	10.5%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
26	Maryland	10.3%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
27	Washington	9.3%	± 0.2%	Different at 90%
28	Kentucky	8.9%	± 0.3%	Different at 90%
29	California	8.8%	± 0.1%	Not distinguishable at 90%
30	Delaware	8.1%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
31	Idaho	6.9%	± 0.4%	Different at 90%
31	Virginia	6.9%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
33	Oklahoma	6.8%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
34	Colorado	6.6%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
35	Utah	5.8%	± 0.4%	Different at 90%
36	Louisiana	5.6%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
36	Tennessee	5.6%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
38	North Carolina	4.7%	± 0.2%	Different at 90%
39	Alabama	4.6%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
40	New Mexico	4.4%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
41	Georgia	3.9%	± 0.2%	Different at 90%
42	Arkansas	3.8%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
43	Mississippi	3.7%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
44	South Carolina	3.4%	± 0.2%	Different at 90%
45	Hawaii	2.9%	± 0.3%	Different at 90%
45	Texas	2.9%	± 0.1%	Not distinguishable at 90%
47	Florida	1.8%	± 0.1%	Different at 90%
48	Arizona	1.4%	± 0.1%	Different at 90%
49	Alaska	1.3%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
50	Nevada	0.9%	± 0.1%	Different at 90%
Ref.	District of ColumbiaNot ranked among states	31.0%	± 1.1%	Reference jurisdiction
Ref.	Puerto RicoNot ranked among states	1.7%	± 0.2%	Reference jurisdiction

Homes built before 1940 · 2024 · Percent

Rank

State / jurisdiction

Value

90% margin of error

Difference from previous rank

Massachusetts

30.2%

± 0.5%

Highest estimate

New York

30.1%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Rhode Island

27.3%

± 1.3%

Different at 90%

Pennsylvania

24.8%

± 0.3%

Different at 90%

Iowa

22.4%

± 0.4%

Different at 90%

Maine

22.4%

± 0.9%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Vermont

22.0%

± 1.1%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Connecticut

20.5%

± 0.7%

Different at 90%

Illinois

20.0%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Ohio

18.8%

± 0.3%

Different at 90%

Nebraska

18.4%

± 0.6%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New Hampshire

18.2%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Wisconsin

17.5%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New Jersey

17.2%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Indiana

15.8%

± 0.4%

Different at 90%

Kansas

15.5%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Minnesota

15.3%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

West Virginia

14.6%

± 0.6%

Different at 90%

Michigan

14.5%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

South Dakota

14.1%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Missouri

13.0%

± 0.3%

Different at 90%

Montana

12.0%

± 0.7%

Different at 90%

Wyoming

10.7%

± 1.0%

Different at 90%

North Dakota

10.6%

± 0.7%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Oregon

10.5%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Maryland

10.3%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Washington

9.3%

± 0.2%

Different at 90%

Kentucky

8.9%

± 0.3%

Different at 90%

California

8.8%

± 0.1%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Delaware

8.1%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Idaho

6.9%

± 0.4%

Different at 90%

Virginia

6.9%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Oklahoma

6.8%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Colorado

6.6%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Utah

5.8%

± 0.4%

Different at 90%

Louisiana

5.6%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Tennessee

5.6%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

North Carolina

4.7%

± 0.2%

Different at 90%

Alabama

4.6%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New Mexico

4.4%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Georgia

3.9%

± 0.2%

Different at 90%

Arkansas

3.8%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Mississippi

3.7%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

South Carolina

3.4%

± 0.2%

Different at 90%

Hawaii

2.9%

± 0.3%

Different at 90%

Texas

2.9%

± 0.1%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Florida

1.8%

± 0.1%

Different at 90%

Arizona

1.4%

± 0.1%

Different at 90%

Alaska

1.3%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Nevada

0.9%

± 0.1%

Different at 90%

Ref.

District of ColumbiaNot ranked among states

31.0%

± 1.1%

Reference jurisdiction

Ref.

Puerto RicoNot ranked among states

1.7%

± 0.2%

Reference jurisdiction

What this ranking measures

Housing units built in 1939 or earlier as a share of all housing units.

Building age does not by itself establish condition, energy efficiency, or historic protection.

The size of the gap

The difference between the highest and lowest state estimates is 29.3 percentage points. The U.S. benchmark is 11.5%. It is not a simple average of the states.

22 states have point estimates above the U.S. benchmark and 28 below it. These counts do not establish statistical significance.

How much should you read into a rank?

Each estimate has a 90% margin of error published by the Census Bureau. For two different states, we flag a difference only when its absolute size exceeds the square root of the sum of their squared margins of error. The comparison tool applies this check to every selected pair.

Non-significance is not proof of equality. These pairwise tests are not adjusted for multiple comparisons and do not form ranking confidence intervals. Statistical method and limitations.

Ranks use the full precision of the source file, so only truly equal values share a rank (1, 2, 2, 4).

Keep exploring

Why prices, housing spending and burden produce different state orders.

Explore the same states in a side-by-side comparison, or combine this measure with others in the custom ranking tool.

Source and method

Producer: U.S. Census Bureau
Product / file: ACS 1-year · GCT2503
Period: 2024
Unit: Percent
Calculation: Published estimate; no transformation of the value. Rank = 1 + number of eligible jurisdictions with a higher value.
Coverage: The 50 states are ranked. Washington, D.C., can be added with the toggle above the table; Puerto Rico is shown for reference only, where the source covers it.
Cadence: Annual. 2025 ACS 1-year estimates scheduled for October 29, 2026 (Census ACS updates page); adoption follows editorial review.
Independence: Rank the States is independent. The agencies that produce the source data do not endorse these rankings.

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Rank the States. Homes built before 1940, 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-year, GCT2503; released 2025-09-11. Edition 2026-10-23. https://rankthestates.com/data/editions/2026-10-23/homes-built-before-1940.csv

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Updates and corrections

Last updated Oct. 23, 2026. Earlier editions stay available on the data page, and every change is listed in the update log. If a number or definition looks wrong, report an error with the state, value, and source you checked.

Homes built before 1940 by state

State distribution and comparisons

How does this compare with homes built in 2020 or later?

The state-by-state view

What this ranking measures

The size of the gap

How much should you read into a rank?

Keep exploring

Source and method

Download, cite, or embed

Updates and corrections

Related rankings

Homes built in 2020 or later

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