The state of the nation, seen through housing

The Census bureau comes out with snapshots of daily life in this country from time to time. Data from the 2011 American Housing Survey — where we live and how we live — was released today.

The median year that occupied homes in this country were built, where exactly half are new and exactly half are older, was 1974. A little under half of owner-occupied homes have working carbon monoxide detectors. About three-quarters of Americans who own their homes have central air conditioning.

The median monthly mortgage payment for homeowners — again, back in 2011 — was $1,015.