Older homes always mean a higher energy burden: partly true
Partly The claim: “Older homes always mean a higher energy burden” In 42 of the 47 states with enough counties the link is positive and in 5 it is negative, so older homes do not always mean a higher burden. Energy burden here is yearly energy cost (electricity, gas and other fuels) as a share of household income.
3,144 counties, r = +0.34
For 3,144 counties we have both the DOE LEAD energy burden (2022 model year) and the Census ACS share of homes built before 1980 (5-year 2023). Counties with the oldest housing, 68% to 91% built before 1980, have a median burden of 3.86% of income; those with the newest, 7% to 39%, 2.59%.
Correlation across all counties: +0.34, so age explains about 12% of the county-to-county spread.
Burden by fifth of pre-1980 housing share
| Fifth (1 = newest housing) | Share built before 1980 | Median burden, % of income | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7% to 39% | 2.59 | 628 |
| 2 | 39% to 48% | 3.22 | 628 |
| 3 | 48% to 57% | 3.36 | 628 |
| 4 | 57% to 68% | 3.63 | 628 |
| 5 | 68% to 91% | 3.86 | 632 |
Inside states the link varies
Taking each state's own counties, the correlation is positive in 42 states and negative in 5. It is strongest in South Carolina (+0.65) and weakest in Connecticut (-0.48). Income, fuel and climate vary by county too, and burden is a ratio: a low-income county can have a high burden in a new housing stock. We make no claim that age is the cause.
All 51 states: from r = +0.65 to -0.48
| South Carolina | 46 | 39.7 | 3.09 | 3.66 | 2.72 | +0.94 | +0.65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 100 | 42.0 | 2.84 | 3.24 | 2.66 | +0.58 | +0.62 |
| Oregon | 36 | 53.7 | 2.21 | 2.89 | 2.00 | +0.89 | +0.59 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 53.2 | 3.84 | 3.93 | 3.80 | +0.13 | +0.57 |
| Texas | 254 | 48.9 | 3.07 | 3.41 | 2.80 | +0.61 | +0.56 |
| Indiana | 92 | 59.3 | 3.38 | 3.51 | 2.99 | +0.52 | +0.56 |
| Louisiana | 64 | 47.1 | 3.22 | 3.88 | 2.81 | +1.06 | +0.55 |
| North Dakota | 53 | 67.7 | 3.76 | 4.20 | 3.12 | +1.08 | +0.55 |
| Utah | 29 | 42.8 | 2.46 | 2.70 | 1.94 | +0.77 | +0.54 |
| Iowa | 99 | 72.5 | 3.90 | 4.17 | 3.69 | +0.48 | +0.51 |
| Arkansas | 75 | 48.3 | 3.48 | 3.75 | 3.31 | +0.44 | +0.50 |
| Georgia | 159 | 38.8 | 3.15 | 3.48 | 2.70 | +0.78 | +0.48 |
| Colorado | 64 | 46.1 | 3.33 | 3.74 | 2.48 | +1.26 | +0.48 |
| Kansas | 105 | 74.1 | 3.83 | 3.95 | 3.65 | +0.30 | +0.47 |
| Wyoming | 23 | 53.3 | 3.28 | 4.11 | 3.06 | +1.05 | +0.46 |
| Minnesota | 87 | 59.6 | 4.05 | 4.46 | 3.33 | +1.12 | +0.45 |
| Mississippi | 82 | 45.7 | 3.65 | 3.94 | 3.34 | +0.60 | +0.45 |
| Virginia | 133 | 49.0 | 2.97 | 3.38 | 2.54 | +0.84 | +0.45 |
| Missouri | 115 | 52.6 | 3.76 | 4.09 | 3.37 | +0.72 | +0.43 |
| Vermont | 14 | 57.4 | 4.42 | 4.50 | 4.01 | +0.49 | +0.39 |
| Oklahoma | 77 | 55.5 | 3.63 | 3.76 | 3.42 | +0.34 | +0.38 |
| Washington | 39 | 46.4 | 2.19 | 2.25 | 2.01 | +0.24 | +0.38 |
| Alabama | 67 | 44.7 | 3.55 | 3.62 | 3.48 | +0.14 | +0.38 |
| Tennessee | 95 | 42.5 | 3.07 | 3.19 | 3.00 | +0.19 | +0.37 |
| Illinois | 102 | 66.6 | 3.70 | 3.85 | 3.31 | +0.54 | +0.37 |
| Maryland | 24 | 45.4 | 2.37 | 2.65 | 2.10 | +0.55 | +0.36 |
| Nebraska | 93 | 73.7 | 4.19 | 4.50 | 3.90 | +0.60 | +0.35 |
| Idaho | 44 | 51.9 | 3.15 | 3.17 | 3.12 | +0.05 | +0.35 |
| South Dakota | 66 | 64.2 | 3.83 | 3.98 | 3.26 | +0.72 | +0.31 |
| Nevada | 17 | 35.8 | 2.69 | 3.09 | 2.33 | +0.76 | +0.30 |
| Ohio | 88 | 61.4 | 3.47 | 3.58 | 3.15 | +0.44 | +0.30 |
| Montana | 56 | 59.1 | 4.42 | 4.55 | 4.08 | +0.47 | +0.30 |
| Florida | 67 | 30.9 | 2.46 | 2.79 | 2.38 | +0.41 | +0.30 |
| Michigan | 83 | 59.4 | 3.53 | 3.74 | 3.34 | +0.40 | +0.27 |
| Arizona | 15 | 33.9 | 2.55 | 2.79 | 2.42 | +0.37 | +0.24 |
| Maine | 16 | 54.8 | 4.44 | 4.87 | 4.32 | +0.55 | +0.21 |
| New Mexico | 33 | 50.7 | 3.38 | 3.82 | 3.16 | +0.66 | +0.17 |
| Pennsylvania | 67 | 66.5 | 3.76 | 3.77 | 3.40 | +0.37 | +0.14 |
| West Virginia | 55 | 57.5 | 3.37 | 3.27 | 3.37 | -0.10 | +0.10 |
| Massachusetts | 14 | 68.1 | 2.95 | 2.93 | 2.97 | -0.04 | +0.09 |
| Kentucky | 120 | 44.6 | 3.32 | 3.31 | 3.33 | -0.03 | +0.07 |
| Wisconsin | 72 | 55.5 | 3.09 | 3.25 | 3.08 | +0.18 | +0.02 |
| New Jersey | 21 | 62.5 | 1.83 | 1.59 | 2.15 | -0.56 | -0.08 |
| New York | 62 | 67.8 | 3.20 | 3.11 | 3.31 | -0.20 | -0.21 |
| Alaska | 30 | 38.7 | 6.28 | 5.29 | 7.56 | -2.27 | -0.22 |
| California | 58 | 49.4 | 2.83 | 1.87 | 2.84 | -0.97 | -0.35 |
| Connecticut | 9 | 66.7 | 3.17 | 2.99 | 3.25 | -0.26 | -0.48 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data |
| Delaware | 3 | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data |
| Hawaii | 5 | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data |
| Rhode Island | 5 | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data |
3,144 counties; r = +0.34. Strongest state link South Carolina (r = +0.65), weakest Connecticut (-0.48). 4 states have fewer than 8 county rows: District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii and Rhode Island.
CSVFind your state
Pick a state to see its county-level link.
Data notes
Counties are unweighted. Connecticut's nine rows in these files are planning regions (codes 09110 to 09190), not counties, and the site has no Connecticut county pages. District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii and Rhode Island have fewer than 8 rows and no state figure. LEAD is a model estimate for the 2022 model year, not a survey of each home, and the ACS age counts carry sampling error.
Map: county-level link by state
- r -0.48 to r +0.14
- r +0.14 to r +0.35
- r +0.35 to r +0.43
- r +0.43 to r +0.54
- r +0.54 to r +0.65
Darker = a stronger positive link inside the state. Grey = fewer than 8 county rows. South Carolina +0.65, Connecticut -0.48.
One dot per state, medians of its counties (47 states).
Keep reading
Sources and dates
| Source | Data period | Retrieved | Used here for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOE LEAD (Low-Income Energy Affordability Data) tool | 2022 model year, by county | 2 Oct 2026 | Energy burden and cost by county |
| Census ACS 5-year 2023, table B25034 (year built), by county | 2019 to 2023 | 2 Oct 2026 | Share of homes built before 1980 by county |
Questions
Do older homes always mean a higher energy burden?
No. Across 3,144 counties r = +0.34: a link on average, but it is negative inside 5 of 47 states.
What is energy burden?
In the DOE LEAD data, the yearly cost of energy for a household (electricity, gas and other fuels) as a percentage of its income.
How much does age explain?
r squared is 12%, so about 88% of the county-to-county variation comes from other things.
What burden do the oldest-housing counties show?
A median of 3.86% in the fifth of counties with the most pre-1980 homes, against 2.59% in the newest fifth.
Which state has the strongest link?
South Carolina, r = +0.65 over 46 counties.
Which state shows the opposite?
Connecticut, r = -0.48 over 9 counties.
Why does Connecticut look different?
Its LEAD and ACS rows are planning regions rather than counties, and the site has no Connecticut county pages.
What years are the sources?
DOE LEAD 2022 model year; Census ACS 5-year 2019 to 2023 for the year-built table B25034.