This paper provides a guide to both published and unpublished research which describes use of the Annual Housing Survey (AHS) data to monitor housing conditions and needs, analyze change in housing markets, and target and evaluate public programs. It also documents limitations and concerns of which future users should be aware. The paper presents a brief description of the AHS, including the national AHS sample and the standard metropolitan statistical area AHS sample. Also described are the uses of the annual housing survey in the areas of monitoring housing needs; analyzing changes in housing markets; and evaluating, monitoring, and targeting programs. A discussion of AHS data limitations touches on its sample design, comparability of survey questions, geographic aggregation, and unavailable information. Overall, the Annual Housing Survey provides an essential description of the current state of housing in the Nation and its metropolitan centers and offers the basis for both current and longitudinal analyses of the strengths and problems in American housing markets. Researchers have already used these data to address many social science and demographic concerns such as white flight, black suburbanization, displacement, and back - to - the - city movements. In addition, numerous Federal agencies have made extensive use of the AHS and several of its supplements. Although the AHS needs improvement, many changes must be balanced against the constraints of cost and the desirability of maintaining continuity and consistency in the AHS services. Footnotes and lists of standard metropolitan statistical areas surveyed, and relevant research papers are included.