In 2002, there were 5,328,251 housing units in Pennsylvania, 4,821,279 of which were occupied; 71.7% were owner-occupied. About 56.9% of all units were single-family, detached homes. About 31.7% of all units were built in 1939 or earlier. Faced with a decaying housing stock, Philadelphia during the 1970s and 1980s encouraged renovation of existing units along with the construction of new ones, effectively revitalizing several neighborhoods. About 22% of all units were built statewide in the period from 1970 to 1989. In 2002, utility gas and fuel oil were the most common sources of energy for heating. It was estimated that 95,671 units lacked telephone services, 20,146 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 28,034 lacked complete kitchen facilities.
In 2002, 45,114 new privately owned housing units were authorized for construction. The median home value was $102,871. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,062. Renters paid a median of $577 per month. During fiscal year 2002, Pennsylvania received over $277.7 million in community planning and development aid from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.