U.S. Department of Commerce
and
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
Joint ReleaseIMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1996 Public Information Office CB96-H.06 301-457-3030 301-457-4067 (TDD) Ed Montfort 301-763-8551 CENSUS BUREAU AND HUD RELEASE INFORMATION ON HOUSING QUALITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD PROBLEMS IN THE PHOENIX, ARIZONA METROPOLITAN AREA Approximately 28 percent of the householders in the Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan Area rated their neighborhoods a perfect "10," and 31 percent said their home was the best place to live. These findings are included in the report, American Housing Survey for the Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan Area in 1994, H170/94-12, released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of the householders living in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan neighborhoods, 14 percent reported problems with crime and 7 percent reported traffic problems, which was about the same percent that experienced problems with litter or housing deterioration. The following are additional facts about the Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan Area: - The area had 1,032,800 housing units in 1994, of which 896,700 were occupied (65 percent by owners and 35 percent by renters). - Single-family homes, at 75 percent of all occupied units, represented the predominant housing type in the area. - The median age of homes in Phoenix city was 23 years, compared with 13 years for the remaining area. - Homes in the area had a median of 2.6 bedrooms. - Of owner-occupied housing units in the area, 88 percent had central air conditioning, about the same ratio had clothes dryers, 76 percent had dishwashers, and a similar proportion had garbage disposals. - Occupied homes in the area had a median of 2.2 persons per unit and a median of 5.4 rooms per unit. - Of all area owner-occupied units, approximately 94 percent had a porch, deck, or patio; 89 percent had a garage or carport; and 42 percent had a usable fireplace. - During the two years prior to the survey, 21 percent of the owner-occupied units had some or all of the roof replaced and 8 percent had kitchens remodeled or added. - Twenty-one percent of the owners and 5 percent of the renters had monthly housing costs that were $1,000 or more. - The 1993 median household income for area homeowners was $42,300, compared with $22,700 for renters. - Renters had median monthly housing costs that represented 29 percent of their current income, compared with 19 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. - Median value of homeowners' residences in 1994 was $88,300, down 11 percent from a 1994 constant dollar figure of $99,000 for 1989. - Sixty-eight percent of the 67,300 owner-occupied homes built during the last four years cost $100,000 or more; 42 percent of the owners of new homes used savings or cash-on-hand for their down payment. 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 Census 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 Census Bureau's Customer Services Office on 301-763-INFO(4636); fax: 301-457-3842.
