housing, "AHS for the Detroit, MI Area in 1993" (6/7/95)

           EMBARGOED UNTIL:  JUNE 7, 1995 (WEDNESDAY)

Public Information Office                               CB95-H.03
301-457-2794
301-457-4067 (TDD)

Ed Montfort
301-763-8551

        CENSUS BUREAU ISSUES PERIODIC ANALYSIS OF HOUSING
             CONDITIONS IN DETROIT METROPOLITAN AREA

     In the Detroit, MI Metropolitan Area (MA), about 33 percent
of householders rated their neighborhoods a perfect "10" (on a
scale of one to 10), and 38 percent said their home was the best
place to live.  These findings are in the report, "American
Housing Survey for the Detroit, MI Metropolitan Area in 1993"
(H170/93-5), released today by the Commerce Department's Census
Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

     Of the householders living in Detroit metropolitan
neighborhoods, 8 percent reported problems with crime, 8 percent
reported traffic problems, and 6 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 Detroit
MA last participated in the survey in 1989.  The 1993 MA included
Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne
counties. 

     The following are additional facts about the Detroit, MI MA:

     -    The area had 1,769,800 housing units in 1993, of which  
          1,641,100 were occupied (74 percent by owners and 26
          percent by renters).

     -    Single-family homes, at 80 percent of all occupied
          units, represented the predominant housing type in the
          area.

     -    The median age of homes in Detroit City was 52 years,
          compared with 31 years for the remaining area.

     -    Homes in the area had a median of 2.8 bedrooms.

     -    Of owner-occupied housing units in the area, 43 percent
          had central air conditioning, 93 percent had clothes
          dryers, 55 percent had dishwashers, and 60 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.

     -    Fifty-one percent of the single detached and mobile
          homes had at least 2,000 square feet of living area,
          with the median being 2,019 square feet.  About 74
          percent of these homes had at least 500 square feet per
          person, with the median being 753 square feet per
          person.

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

     -    Of all area owner-occupied units, approximately 89
          percent had a porch, deck, or patio; 81 percent had a
          garage or carport; and 43 percent had a usable
          fireplace.

     -    During the two years prior to the survey, 17 percent of
          the owner-occupied units had roofs replaced and 11
          percent had kitchens remodeled or added.

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

     -    Seventeen percent of the owners and 2 percent of the
          renters had monthly housing costs that were $1,000 or
          more.

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

     -    The 1993 median household income for area homeowners
          was $43,491, compared with $19,944 for renters.

     -    Renters had median monthly housing costs that
          represented 30 percent of their current income,
          compared with 18 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-six percent of the homeowners had a yearly real
          estate tax of $1,800 or more.

     -    Median value of homeowners' residences in 1993 was
          $78,675, up 4 percent from $75,479 in 1989 (in constant
          1993 dollars).

     -    Sixty-nine percent of the 46,700 owner-occupied homes
          built since the 1989 interview cost $100,000 or more;
          32 percent of the owners of new homes used savings or
          cash on hand for their down payment.

     -    Thirty-eight 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