housing, "AHS for Boston, MA-NH Metro Area in 1993" (6/5/95)

             EMBARGOED UNTIL:  JUNE 5, 1995 (MONDAY)

Public Information Office                              CB95-H.02
301-457-2794
301-457-4067 (TDD)

Ed Montfort
301-763-8551

        CENSUS BUREAU ISSUES PERIODIC ANALYSIS OF HOUSING
          CONDITIONS IN BOSTON, MA-NH METROPOLITAN AREA

     In the Boston, MA-NH Metropolitan Area (MA), about 
36 percent of householders rated their neighborhoods a perfect
"10" (on a scale of one to 10), and 39 percent said their home
was the best place to live.  These findings are in the report,
"American Housing Survey for the Boston, MA-NH Metropolitan Area
in 1993" (H170/93-3), released today by the Commerce Department's
Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD).

     Of the householders living in Boston metropolitan
neighborhoods, 6 percent reported problems with crime, 12 percent
reported traffic problems, and 3 percent experienced problems
with litter or housing deterioration.

     The report is based on data collected in the 1993 American
Housing Survey (AHS) Metropolitan Sample.  The 20-year-old AHS is
sponsored by HUD and conducted by the Census Bureau.  The Boston
MA last participated in the survey in 1989.  The 1993 MA included
all or part of:   Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth,
Suffolk, and Worcester counties in Massachusetts and Hillsborough
and Rockingham counties in New Hampshire.

     The following are additional facts about the Boston, MA-NH
MA:

     -    The area had 1,684,000 housing units in 1993, of which 

          1,536,000 were occupied (60 percent by owners and 40
          percent by renters).

     -    Single-family homes, at 56 percent of all occupied
          units, represented the predominant housing type in the
          area.

     -    The median age of homes in Boston City was 61 years
          compared with 39 years for the remaining area.

     -    Homes in the area had a median of 2.6 bedrooms.

     -    Of owner-occupied housing units in the area, 15 percent
          had central air conditioning, 86 percent had clothes
          dryers, 72 percent had dishwashers, and 49 percent had
          garbage disposals.

     -    Homes in the area had a median of 2.3 persons per unit
          and a median of 5.6 rooms per unit.

     -    Sixty-five percent of the single detached and mobile
          homes had at least 2,000 square feet of living area,
          with the median being 2,296 square feet.  About 81
          percent of these homes had at least 500 square feet per
          person, with the median being 812 square feet per
          person.

     -    Nineteen percent of the owner-occupied homes were
          located on an acre or more of land.

     -    Of all area owner-occupied units, approximately 83
          percent had a porch, deck, or patio; 57 percent had a
          garage or carport; and 54 percent had a usable
          fireplace.

     -    During the two years prior to the survey, 12 percent of
          the owner-occupied units had roofs replaced and 9
          percent had kitchens remodeled or added.

     -    Twelve percent of the homeowners spent $100 or more per
          month during the previous year on routine maintenance.

     -    Forty-two percent of the owners and 11 percent of the
          renters had monthly housing costs that were $1,000 or
          more.

     -    Thirty-one percent of the households had incomes of
          less than $25,000.

     -    The 1993 median household income for area homeowners
          was $55,407, compared with $25,372 for renters.

     -    Renters had median monthly housing costs that
          represented 31 percent of their current income,
          compared with 21 percent for owners.  Monthly housing
          costs include mortgage payments or contract rent,
          utilities, fuels, insurance, real estate taxes (for
          owners), and other housing-related expenditures.

     -    Fifty-seven percent of the homeowners had a yearly real
          estate tax of $1,800 or more.

     -    Median value of homeowners' residences in 1993 was
          $157,089 down 25 percent from $210,598 in 1989 (in
          constant 1993 dollars).

     -    Ninety-one percent of the 34,200 owner-occupied homes
          built since the 1989 interview cost $100,000 or more;
          50 percent of the owners of new homes used savings or
          cash on hand for their down payment.

     -    Thirty-six percent of the homeowners with a mortgage
          had a current interest rate on their mortgage loan of
          less than 8 percent in 1993.

     Data in the report are shown separately for units with
African American and Hispanic householders.  Since data in the
report are from a survey, they are subject to sampling
variability.
                               -X-

Editor's note:  media representatives may obtain copies of the
report from the bureau's Public Information Office by telephone: 
301-457-2794; fax:  301-457-3670; or e-mail:  pio@census.gov. 
Non-media orders should be directed to the bureau's Customer