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Housing Vacancies and Homeownership (CPS/HVS)
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Housing Vacancies and Homeownership
Fourth Quarter 2003
Definitions and Explanations
Metropolitan Areas. Standard definitions of metropolitan areas (MA's) are
issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to be used in the
presentation of statistics by agencies of the Federal Government. OMB
establishes the geographic definition of each area following detailed
technical criteria developed with the advice of the Federal Committee on
Metropolitan Areas, which is composed of representatives of the major Federal
statistical agencies.
Due to the new sample drawn from the 1990 census,
metropolitan/nonmetropolitan data published in 1995 and later are not
directly comparable to data for 1994 and earlier.
The general concept of a metropolitan area is that of a population
nucleus of 50,000 and over, generally consisting of a city and its
immediate suburbs, together with adjacent communities having a high
degree of economic and social integration with that nucleus. MA's are
defined in terms of counties, the smallest geographic units for which a
wide range of statistical data can be obtained. In New England, however,
the definitions are in terms of cities and towns, because these subcounty
units are of great local significance and considerable data are available
for them.
By the current standards, an area qualifies for recognition as an MA
in one of two ways - if there is a city of at least 50,000 population, or
a Census Bureau defined urbanized area of at least 50,000 with a total
metropolitan population of at least 100,000 (75,000 in New England). In
addition to the county containing the main city, an MA also includes
additional counties having strong economic and social ties to the central
county, determined chiefly by the extent of the Census Bureau urbanized
area and census data on commuting to work. New England MA's are defined
in terms of a core area and related cities and towns. A metropolitan area
may contain more than one city of 50,000 population and may cross State
lines. If an MA has more than 1 million population and meets certain other
specified requirements, it is termed a consolidated metropolitan statistical
area (CMSA), consisting of major components recognized as primary
metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA's).
Geographic regions. The four major regions of the United States for which
data are presented in this report represent groups of States as follows:
Northeast:
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania.
Midwest:
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas,
Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.
South:
Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama,
Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,
Texas.
West:
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah,
Wyoming, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington.
Housing Unit. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a group of rooms,
or a single room occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living
quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants do
not live and eat with other persons in the structure and which have
direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall.
For vacant units, the criteria of separateness and direct access are
applied to the intended occupants whenever possible. If the information
cannot be obtained, the criteria are applied to the previous occupants.
Tents and boats are excluded if vacant, used for business, or used for
extra sleeping space or vacations. Vacant seasonal/migratory mobile
homes are included in the count of vacant seasonal/migratory housing
units.
Living quarters of the following types are excluded from the housing
unit inventory: Dormitories, bunkhouses, and barracks; quarters in
predominantly transient hotels, motels, and the like, except those
occupied by persons who consider the hotel their usual place of residence;
quarters in institutions, general hospitals, and military installations
except those occupied by staff members or resident employees who have
separate living arrangements.
Occupied Housing Units. A housing unit is occupied if a person or group
of persons is living in it at the time of the interview or if the
occupants are only temporarily absent, as for example, on vacation. The
persons living in the unit must consider it their usual place of residence
or have no usual place of residence elsewhere. The count of occupied
housing units is the same as the count of households.
Householder. The householder refers to the person (or one of the persons)
in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented or, if there is no such
person, any adult member, excluding roomers, boarders, or paid employees.
If the house is jointly owned by a married couple, either the husband or
the wife may be listed first, thereby becoming the reference person, or
householder, to whom the relationship of the other household members is
recorded. One person in each household is designated as the "householder."
Vacant Housing Units. A housing unit is vacant if no one is living in it
at the time of the interview, unless its occupants are only temporarily
absent. In addition, a vacant unit may be one which is entirely occupied
by persons who have a usual residence elsewhere.
New units not yet occupied are classified as vacant housing units if
construction has reached a point where all exterior windows and doors are
installed and final usable floors are in place. Vacant units are excluded
if they are exposed to the elements, that is, if the roof, walls, windows,
or doors no longer protect the interior from the elements, or if there is
positive evidence (such as a sign on the house or block) that the unit is
to be demolished or is condemned. Also excluded are quarters being used
entirely for nonresidential purposes, such as a store or an office, or
quarters used for the storage of business supplies or inventory, machinery,
or agricultural products.
Vacant sleeping rooms in lodging houses, transient accommodations,
barracks, and other quarters not defined as housing units are not
included in the statistics in this report. (See section on "Housing
Unit.")
Year-round Vacant Units. Beginning in 1990, year-round vacant mobile
homes were included as part of the year-round vacant count of housing
units. Year-round units are those intended for occupancy at any time
of the year, even though they may not be in use the year round. In resort
areas, a housing unit which is usually occupied on a year-round basis is
considered a year-round unit. As indicated above, year-round units
temporarily occupied by persons with usual residence elsewhere are
included with year-round vacant units.
Year-round vacant units are classified in the following categories:
Vacant units for rent. This group consists of vacant units offered for
rent and those offered both for rent and sale.
Vacant units for sale only. This group is limited to units for sale
only; it excludes units both for rent and sale. If a unit was located
in a multi-unit structure which was for sale as an entire structure and
if the unit was not for rent, it was reported as "held off market."
However, if the individual unit was intended to be occupied by the new
owner, it was reported as "for sale."
Vacant units rented or sold. This group consists of year-round vacant
units which have been rented or sold but the new renters or owners have
not moved in as of the day of interview.
Vacant units held off the market. Included in this category are units
held for occasional use, temporarily occupied by persons with usual
residence elsewere, and vacant for other reasons. These classifications
are described below.
For occasional use. If the vacant unit is not for-rent or for-sale-only
but is held for weekends or occasional use thoughout the year, the unit
is included in this catagory. Time-shared units are classified in this
category if the vacant unit is not for-rent or for-sale-only, but held
for use for an individual during the time of interview.
Units Occupied by Persons With Usual Residence Elsewhere. A housing unit
which is occupied temporarily by persons who usually live elsewhere is
interviewed as a vacant unit provided that a usual place of residence is
held for the household which is not offered for rent or for sale. For
example, a beach cottage occupied at the time of the interview by a family
which has a usual place of residence in the city is included in the count
of vacant units. Their house in the city would be reported "occupied" and
would be included in the count of occupied units since the occupants are
only temporarily absent. Units occupied by persons with usual residence
elsewhere (URE) are further classified as seasonal vacant or year round
vacant units.
Other vacant. Included in this category are year-round units which were
vacant for reasons other than those mentioned above: For example, held
for occupancy of a caretaker, janitor; held for settlement of an estate,
or held for personal reasons of the owner.
Seasonal Vacant Units. Seasonal housing units are those intended for
occupancy only during certain seasons of the year and are found primarily
in resort areas. Housing units held for occupancy by migratory labor
employed in farm work during the crop season are tabulated as seasonal.
As of the first quarter 1986 vacant seasonal mobile homes are being counted
as a part of the seasonal housing inventory.
Vacancy and Homeownership Rates. In this report several measures are shown
for vacant housing units that are on the market for rent or for sale only.
Measures are also shown for homeownership rates.
Rental Vacancy Rate. The rental vacancy rate is the proportion of the
rental inventory which is vacant for rent. In tables 1 and 2, the rates
are computed using the following formula:
Vacant
year-round
units
Rental for rent
vacancy = -------------------------------------------
rate
(tables Renter Vacant Vacant
1 and 2) occupied + year-round + year-round
units units rented units
but awaiting for rent
occupancy
Rental Vacancy Rates by Selected Characteristics. The rental vacancy
rates shown in table 3 are the percent relationship of the vacant year-
round units for rent with a specific characteristic (such as 3-room units)
to all rental units with that specific characteristic. Excluded from the
denominator are year-round units rented but awaiting occupancy. The rates
are computed as follows:
All vacant year-round for rent
Rental vacancy rate with a specific characteristic
for a specific = ---------------------------------
characteristic All renter occupied and vacant
(table 3) year-round for rent units with a
specific characteristic
For example, the numerator for the rental vacancy rate for units with 3
rooms is all vacant year-round for rent units with 3 rooms. The
denominator is: (1) all renter occupied units with 3 rooms and (2) vacant
year-round units for rent with 3 rooms.
Homeowner Vacancy Rate. The homeowner vacancy rate is the proportion of
the homeowner inventory which is vacant for sale. In tables 1 and 2, the
rates are computed using the following formula:
Vacant
year-round
units
Homeowner for sale only
vacancy = ---------------------------------------------
rate
(tables 1 Owner Vacant Vacant
and 2) occupied + year-round + year-round
units units sold units
but awaiting for sale only
occupancy
Homeowner Vacancy Rates by Selected Characteristics. The homeowner
vacancy rates shown in table 3 are the percent relationship of the vacant
year-round units for sale with a specific characteristic (such as 3-room
units) to all homeowner units with that specific characteristic. Excluded
from the denominator are year-round units sold but awaiting occupancy.
The rates are computed as follows:
all vacant year-round units for sale
Homeowner vacancy with a specific characteristic
rate for a specific = -------------------------------------
characteristic
(table 3) all owner occupied and vacant
year-round units for sale with a
specific characteristic
For example, the numerator for the homeowner vacancy rate for
units with 3 rooms is all vacant year-round units for sale only
with 3 rooms.
The denominator is: (1) all owner occupied units with 3 rooms
and (2) vacant year-round units for sale with 3 rooms.
Homeownership Rates. The proportion of households that are owners is
termed the homeownership rate. It is computed by dividing the number
of households that are owners by the total number of households (table
5 and 6). The formula is as follows:
Owner households
Homeownership rate = -------------------------
Total occupied households
Homeownership by Age of Householder. This homeownership rate is
calculated by dividing the number of owner household in a particular age
group by the total number of occupied households in that age group
(table 7).
Owner households
Homeownership rate = (in age group)
(For a specific age group) -------------------------
Total occupied households
(in age group)
Other Occupancy and Vacancy Rates. The percent distribution of vacant and
occupied housing units, shown in tables 10 and 11, are shown as a percent
of all housing units and are computed using the following formula.
Type of unit
Rate = -----------------
All housing units
For example, the numerator for the for-rent rate is all year-round vacant
units for rent. The denominator is all housing units.
Tenure. A unit is owner occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the
unit, even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for. A cooperative or
condominium unit is "owner occupied" only if the owner or co-owner lives
in it. All other occupied units are classified as "renter occupied,"
including units rented for cash rent and those occupied without payment
of cash rent.
Number of Rooms. Included in the count of rooms were whole rooms such as
living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, finished basements or
attics, recreation rooms, permanently enclosed sun porches which are
suitable for year-round use, and lodger's rooms. A partially divided
room, such as dinette next to a kitchen or living room was counted as a
separate room only if there was a partition from floor to ceiling, but
was not counted as a room if the partition consisted solely of shelves
or cabinets. Not included in the count of rooms were bathrooms, halls,
foyers or vestibules, balconies, closets, alcoves, pantries, strip or
pullman kitchens, laundry or furnace rooms, unfinished attics or basements,
open porches, sun porches not suited for year-round use, unfinished space
used for storage, mobile homes or trailers used only as bedrooms, and
offices used only by persons not living in the unit. A room used by the
occupants of more than one unit was included with the unit from which it
could be most easily reached.
The median number of rooms is the theoretical value which divides the
housing units equally, one-half having more rooms and one-half having fewer
rooms than the median. In the computation of the median, a continuous
distribution was assumed. For example, when the median was in the three-
room group, the lower and upper limits were assumed to be 2.5 and 3.5,
respectively. Tenths were used in the computation of the median to permit
comparisons.
Number of Bedrooms. Rooms used mainly for sleeping, even if used for other
purposes, were counted as bedrooms. Also included in the count of bedrooms
were rooms reserved for sleeping, such as guest rooms, even though used
infrequently. A room used mainly for other purposes, although also used for
sleeping, such as a living room with a hide-away bed, was not counted as a
bedroom. A one-room apartment, therefore, was reported as having no bedroom.
Number of Housing Units in Structure. A structure is a separate building
which either has open space on all four sides or is separated from other
structures by dividing walls that extend from ground to roof. In double
houses, row houses, and houses attached to nonresidential structures, each
building is a structure if the common wall between them goes from ground to
roof. Sheds and private garages which adjoin houses are not counted as
separate structures. In apartment developments, each building with open
space on all sides is considered a separate structure. The count of housing
units in a structure is the total number of units in the structure, both
occupied and vacant units. In the tabulations, occupied mobile homes or
trailers, tents, and boats are included in the category one housing unit
in structure.
The statistics reflect the number of housing units in the structure in
which they are located, rather than the number of residential structures.
In the quarterly surveys, data were obtained on the number of housing units
in the structure, regardless of the type of structures in which the unit was
located.
Year Structure Built. "Year structure built" refers to the date the original
construction of the structure was completed, and not to any later remodeling,
addition, or conversion. The figures on the number of units built during a
given period relate to the number of units in existence at the time of
interview. For both occupied and vacant mobile homes, "model year" is the
year built.
Duration of Vacancy. The length of time a housing unit was vacant was
computed from the day the unit became vacant until the day of the interview.
The data, therefore, do not provide a direct measure of the total length of
time units remain vacant. For newly constructed units, the duration of
vacancy represents the time period since the date when the unit was
considered a vacant housing unit, that is, when construction had reached
the point that all exterior windows and doors were installed and final
usable floors were in place. For recently converted or merged units, the
length of time is reported from the date the conversion or merger was
completed. For units temporarily occupied by persons with a usual residence
elsewhere, duration of vacancy is the length of time since the last usual
residents moved; if the unit was always occupied by persons with usual
residence elsewhere the time is reported from the date the unit was
originally ready for occupancy.
The time intervals used in the tables represent full months, calculated
from a date in the month to the same date the following month. For
example, if the unit became vacant on July 29 and was still vacant on
the day interviewed, September 20, the time reported would be "1 to 2
months," meaning that the unit had been vacant for more than 1 month but
less than 2 months. Or if the unit became vacant on August 25 and was
still vacant on September 20, the time reported would be "less than 1
month."
Previous Occupancy. A unit was classified as being "previously occupied"
if the unit had ever been occupied or if the unit was occupied by persons
with a usual residence elsewhere. If a previously occupied unit had been
converted into several housing units, each unit was classified as being
previously occupied. Also, housing units that resulted from conversion of
nonresidential space or from a merger was reported as being previously
occupied. Only vacant newly constructed units were classified as "not
previously occupied."
Contract Rent. For renter-occupied units, the contract rent is the monthly
rent agreed upon regardless of any furnishings, utilities, or services that
may be included. For vacant units, rent is the amount asked for the unit at
the time of interview; the amount may differ from the rent contracted for
when the unit is occupied. Data for contract rent excludes units for which
no cash rent is paid. As in the 1980 census, the statistics are limited to
specified rental units. These data exclude rents for renter-occupied and
vacant for-rent single-family structures on places of 10 acres or more.
The median monthly rent is the rent which divides the series into two
equal parts, one-half of the units with rents higher than the median
and the other half with rents lower than the median. In the
computation of the median, a continuous distribution was assumed, and
the limits of the class intervals were assumed to stand at the midpoint
of the 1-dollar interval between the end of one of the rent groups and the
beginning of the next. For example, the limits of the interval designated
$250 to $299 were assumed to be $249.50 and $299.50.
Inclusion of Utilities in Rent. The utilities included in the inquiry were
electricity, gas, water, oil, coal, wood, and kerosene, etc. The statistics
reflect whether all or some or none of these utilities are provided for in
the amount of rent asked at the time of the interview. A unit was
classified as having "all utilities included" if the cost of the utilities
are included in the rent at no additional cost to the renter or if the
utilities would not be used by the renter. A unit was classified as having
"some or none included" if all or part of the utilities are to be paid for
separately by the renter in addition to the rent asked. Data on the
inclusion of utilities are limited to vacant units for which rent is
reported. No data on utilities are collected for renter-occupied units.
Value. Value is the respondent's estimate of how much the property would
sell for on the current market. For vacant units, value is the sales price
asked for the property at the time of the interview and may differ from the
price at which the property is sold. The "sales price asked" includes the
price of a one-housing-unit structure and the land on which it is located.
The "sales price asked" may also include additional structures such as
garages, sheds, barns, etc.
In this report, statistics on value for owner-occupied units and vacant
for-sale-only units are limited to specified homeowner units which
includes all one-housing unit structures located on places of less than
10 acres, without a commercial establishment or medical office on the
property and with only one-housing unit on the property.
The median value or sales price is the amount which divides the series
into two equal parts, one-half of the units with values higher than the
median and the other half with values lower than the median. The median
was computed on the basis of more detailed tabulation groups than are shown
in the tables and was rounded to the nearest hundred dollars.
Go to Housing Vacancies and Homeownership: Fourth Quarter 2003
Contact Bob Callis or Linda Cavanaugh at (301)763-3199 or visit ask.census.gov for further information on the Housing Vacancy Survey.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division
Last Revised: December 02, 2004
