Newsroom Archive

     Homeowners in the Philadelphia-Camden, Pa.-N.J., metro area paid a median of $1,220 in monthly housing costs in 2009, compared with $905 for renters, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Renters, however, typically paid a higher percentage of their household income on housing costs than did owners (32 percent compared with 21 percent).

    These figures come from the 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS), which provides extensive data on the quality and characteristics of the housing supply in selected metropolitan areas around the nation. Data for these areas are published on a rotating basis. In addition to Philadelphia, data were released today for the New York, Seattle, Chicago, Northern New Jersey, and Detroit metro areas.

    The survey covers a variety of specific topics, such as presence of air-conditioning, satisfaction with home and neighborhood, housing costs, presence of amenities, problems with neighborhood, reasons for choosing home and neighborhood, cost of utilities and size of home.

    “The AHS is the only source of data on many of these measures, and it is by far the most detailed source of data on the nation's housing stock,” said Tamara Cole, chief of the U.S. Census Bureau's American Housing Survey Branch. “Professionals in nearly every area of planning, decision-making and market research consult the survey, along with anyone who wants to know more about the nation's housing.”

    Other highlights on occupied housing in the Philadelphia metro area include:

• Thirty percent of homeowners did not have a mortgage.
• Respondents were generally very content with where they live: 71 percent rated their homes highly, which means an 8, 9 or 10 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 29 percent giving them a “best” rating of 10. For neighborhoods, the corresponding figures were 68 percent and 26 percent.
• The median year homes were built was 1960.
• Ninety-seven percent of homes reported having a smoke detector. In addition, 47 percent had a working carbon monoxide detector, 52 percent purchased or recharged a fire extinguisher in the last two years, and 5 percent had sprinkler systems in their homes.
• Separate dining rooms were found in 67 percent of homes and usable fireplaces in 33 percent.
• The two most common home heating fuels used were piped gas (61 percent) and fuel oil (19 percent). Additionally, most units (60 percent) used warm-air furnace for heating.
• More than one-quarter of households (30 percent) reported noise from traffic as a problem and 23 percent cited crime as a concern. Ninety-two percent were satisfied with police protection in their communities.
• The most common consideration for recent movers in choosing their neighborhood was convenience to a job (17 percent). In choosing their home, financial reasons (24 percent) was the most common reason cited.
• Sixty-seven percent of occupied homes had three or more bedrooms, and 40 percent had two or more bathrooms.
• Fifty-seven percent of occupied units had central air-conditioning.

    The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the American Housing Survey to update statistics for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

    Statistics from the AHS surveys are subject to sampling error and nonsampling error. All comparisons have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90 percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted.