Census 2000 counted

69.8 million owner-occupied housing units, or

about two-thirds of the

105.5 million occupied

housing units in the

United States. Owneroccupied units included

those with one or more

mortgages (including

home equity loans) as

well as those owned free

and clear.

This report, part of a

series that presents population and housing data

collected from Census

2000, examines mortgage

status, selected monthly

owner costs, and selected

monthly owner costs as a

percentage of household

income in 1999 for specified owner-occupied housing units. The data show

how these measures vary

geographically (by

regions, states, and large

cities), by age of the

householder, by race and

Hispanic origin of the

householder, and by some

housing characteristics.

The Census Bureau collected mortgage status

on the decennial censuses in 1940 and 1950,

ceased collecting these

data in the 1960 and

1970 censuses, then

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S.Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued September 2003

C2KBR-27

Housing Costs of 

Homeowners: 2000

Census 2000 Brief

By 

Robert Bonnette Figure 1.

Reproduction of the Questions on 

Housing Showing the Components of 

Selected Monthly Owner Costs From 

Census 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.

What are the annual costs of utilities and fuels for

this house, apartment, or mobile home? If you have

lived here less than 1 year, estimate the annual cost.

a. Electricity

Annual cost — Dollars

$ , .00

OR

Included in rent or in condominium fee

No charge or electricity not used

b. Gas

Annual cost — Dollars

Included in rent or in condominium fee

No charge or gas not used

c. Water and sewer

Annual cost — Dollars

Included in rent or in condominium fee

No charge

d. Oil, coal, kerosene, wood, etc.

Annual cost — Dollars

Included in rent or in condominium fee

No charge or these fuels not used

, .00

, .00

, .00

OR

OR

OR

$

$

$

45
2 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 1.

Reproduction of the Questions on Housing Showing the Components of Selected

Monthly Owner Costs From Census 2000—Con.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.

What was the annual payment for fire, hazard,

and flood insurance on THIS property?

,

Annual amount — Dollars

$ .00

OR

None

50

a. Do you have a second mortgage or a home

equity loan on THIS property? Mark all boxes

that apply.

Answer questions 47a—53 if you or someone

in this household owns or is buying this house,

apartment, or mobile home; otherwise, skip to

questions for Person 2.

a. Do you have a mortgage, deed of trust, contract

to purchase, or similar debt on THIS property?

Yes, mortgage, deed of trust, or similar debt

Yes, contract to purchase

No Skip to 48a

b. How much is your regular monthly mortgage

payment on THIS property? Include payment only on

first mortgage or contract to purchase.

,

Monthly amount — Dollars

$ .00

OR

No regular payment required Skip to 48a

c. Does your regular monthly mortgage payment

include payments for real estate taxes on THIS

property?

Yes, taxes included in mortgage payment

No, taxes paid separately or taxes not required

d. Does your regular monthly mortgage payment

include payments for fire, hazard, or flood

insurance on THIS property?

Yes, insurance included in mortgage payment

No, insurance paid separately or no insurance

Yes, a second mortgage

Yes, a home equity loan

No Skip to 49

b. How much is your regular monthly payment on

all second or junior mortgages and all home equity

loans on THIS property?

,

Monthly amount — Dollars

$ .00

OR

No regular payment required

X

47

48

Yes

No

Answer ONLY if this is a MOBILE HOME —

a. Do you have an installment loan or contract

on THIS mobile home?

b. What was the total cost for installment loan

payments, personal property taxes, site rent,

registration fees, and license fees on THIS mobile

home and its site last year? Exclude real estate taxes.

,

Yearly amount — Dollars

$ .00

Answer ONLY if this is a CONDOMINIUM —

What is the monthly condominium fee?

,

Monthly amount — Dollars

$ .00

52

What were the real estate taxes on THIS 

property last year?

,

Yearly amount — Dollars

$ .00

OR

None

49

53
resumed in 1980. The Residential

Finance Survey (RFS) filled the gap

in 1960 and 1970. Selected

monthly owner costs include the

sum of payments for mortgages,

deeds of trust, or similar debts on

the property (including payments

for the first mortgage, second or

junior mortgages, and home equity

loans); real estate taxes; fire, hazard, and flood insurance on the

property; utilities (electricity, gas,

water, and sewer); and fuels (oil,

coal, kerosene, wood, etc.). It also

includes, where appropriate,

monthly condominium fees. The

components of selected monthly

owner costs are presented in

Figure 1. Selected monthly owner

costs consisted of the same components in both 1990 and 2000.

Medians in this report are computed for owner-occupied one-family

houses on less than 10 acres with

no business or commercial establishment on the property, referred

to in this report as specified

owner-occupied units. Census

2000 counted 55.2 million of these

units, almost 80 percent of the

total owner-occupied housing

inventory. The Census Bureau

began collecting data and tabulating data on selected monthly

owner costs as a percentage of

household income in 1980.

The percentage of specified

owner-occupied units without

a mortgage declined between

1960 and 2000.

In 2000, 30 percent of specified

owner-occupied homes in the

United States had no mortgage; that

is, they were owned free and clear,

down from about 35 percent in

both 1980 and 1990.1 This 

decrease likely occurred as homeowners who had paid off their

mortgages took out home equity

loans. If a home equity loan was

the only lien against a property, it

was counted as a mortgage in both

1990 and 2000. The RFS recorded

or tracked mortgage status for

one-family homes as far back as

1960.2 The RFS showed that 42

percent of owners in one-family

homes reported no mortgage in

1960; this figure was 39 percent in

1970, 39 percent in 1980, and 

37 percent in 1990. (The 1980 and

1990 RFS rates are provided for

comparison with the 1980 and

1990 censuses.)

Housing costs were highest

for Asian householders, and

lowest for American Indians

and Alaska Natives. 

Census 2000 allowed respondents

to choose more than one race.

With the exception of the Two or

more races group, all race groups

discussed in this report refer to

people who indicated only one

racial identity among the six major

categories: White, Black or African

American, American Indian and

Alaska Native, Asian, Native

Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander,

and Some Other Race.3 The use 

of the single-race population in

this report does not imply that it

is the preferred method of presenting or analyzing data. The 

Census Bureau uses a variety of

approaches.4

In 2000, Asian householders with a

mortgage had median selected

monthly costs of $1,540, far above

the national median of $1,088 for

all householders. Native Hawaiian

and Other Pacific Islander householders, Two or more races householders, and Non-Hispanic White

householders also reported medians above those of all householders ($1,261, $1,137, and $1,095,

respectively). Monthly homeowner

costs were lowest for American

Indian and Alaska Native ($879)

and Black or African American

($937). See Figure 2.

The high homeowner costs for

Asian and Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander householders

likely occur because these two

groups are concentrated in

California and Hawaii, two states

with very high homeowner costs

and housing values for units with a

mortgage. Median homeowner

costs for Hispanic or Latino householders with a mortgage were

$1,061.5

Asian householders, at $344, had

the highest costs for units without

a mortgage. Median costs were

U.S. Census Bureau 3

1 The estimates in this report are based

on responses from a sample of the population. As with all surveys, estimates may

vary from the actual values because of sampling variation or other factors. All statements made in this report have undergone

statistical testing and are significant at the

90-percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted.

2 Estimates from the RFS are considerably

less reliable than those based on census

data because of the much smaller sample

size. Comparability is also affected by differences in the questionnaire design, data

collection procedures, and other sources of

nonsampling errors such as procedure differences. See the Accuracy of the Estimates

section for further RFS references. 3 For further information on each of the

six major race groups, and the Two or more

races population, see reports from the

Census 2000 Brief series (C2KBR/01), available on the Census 2000 Web site at

www.census.gov/population/wwwcen2000

/briefs.html. 

4 This report draws heavily on Summary

File 3, a Census 2000 product that can be

accessed through American FactFinder, available from the Census Bureau’s Web site,

www.census.gov. Information on people

who reported more than one race, such as

“White and American Indian and Alaska

Native” or “Asian and Black or African

American,” is available in Summary File 4,

also available through American FactFinder.

About 2.6 percent of people reported more

than one race. 5 Because Hispanics may be of any race,

data in this report for Hispanics overlap with

data for racial groups. Based on Census

2000 sample data, the proportion Hispanic

was 8.0 percent for the White alone population, 1.9 percent for the Black alone population, 14.6 percent for the American Indian

and Alaska Native alone population, 1.0 percent for the Asian alone population, 9.5 percent for the Native Hawaiian and Other

Pacific Islander alone population, 97.1 percent for the Some other race alone population, and 31.1 percent for the Two or more

races population.
lowest for American Indian and

Alaska Native households ($216),

but Some other race households

reported the next-lowest costs for

this category, $255. Median homeowner costs for Hispanic or Latino

householders without a mortgage

were $263, not statistically different than the $262 reported for

Black householders.

Housing costs were lowest for

the youngest and the oldest

homeowners.

Median selected monthly costs for

homeowners 15 to 24 with a mortgage was $833 (see Table 1).

Costs were highest for those 35 to

44 ($1,158), then fell gradually as

age increased to a low of $814 for

householders 75 and over.

For those without a mortgage, the

lowest median costs were reported

by those homeowners 15 to 24

($257) and the highest by householders 45 to 54 and 55 to 64

($311 and $309, respectively).

Housing affordability 

can be measured by the

percentage of household

income in 1999 devoted to

monthly owner costs.

The median monthly owner costs

as a percentage of monthly income

for homeowners with a mortgage

was 21.7 percent in 2000, up

slightly from the 21.0 percent registered in 1990. For units without

a mortgage, the percentage was

lower, at 10.5 percent, down from

11.1 percent in 1990.

Housing was most affordable

for the middle-aged groups.

Householders aged 15 to 24 with a

mortgage spent a median of 

25.7 percent of household income

for monthly housing costs. This

percentage declined to 22.7 percent for the 25-to-34 age group,

4 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 2.

Race and Hispanic Origin of Householder 

by Mortgage Status and Selected 

Monthly Owner Costs: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

White alone, not

Hispanic or Latino

Hispanic or Latino

(of any race)

Two or more races

Some other race alone

Native Hawaiian and

Pacific Islander alone

Asian alone

American Indian and

Alaska Native alone

Black or African

American alone

White alone

Units with a mortgage

Units without a mortgage

$299

$1,094

$298

$937

$262

$879

$216

$1,540

$344

$1,261

$291

$1,029

$255

$1,137

$285

$1,061

$263

$1,095

Table 1.

Mortgage Status by Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs

by Age of Householder: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error,

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Age of householder

Specified owneroccupied unitsMedian selected monthly

owner costs

With a

mortgage

Without a

mortgage

With a

mortgage

Without a

mortgage

Total .......................... 38,663,887 16,548,221 $1,088 $295

15 to 24 years...................... 483,755 79,717 $833 $257

25 to 34 years...................... 5,966,933 391,342 $1,056 $273

35 to 44 years...................... 11,727,506 1,128,916 $1,158 $296

45 to 54 years...................... 10,863,671 2,099,326 $1,145 $311

55 to 64 years...................... 5,803,296 3,163,260 $1,049 $309

65 to 74 years...................... 2,683,826 4,683,524 $887 $296

75 years and over . ................. 1,134,900 5,002,136 $814 $283

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

21.9 percent for the 35-to-44 age

group, and 19.9 percent for the

45-to-54 age group. The median

then rose to 20.6 percent for

householders aged 55 to 64, 

25.4 percent for the 65-to-74 age

group, and 32.0 percent for those

aged 75 and over. Households

with owner costs at 30 percent or

higher are often considered to be

financially burdened. By this

measure, more than half of all

householders aged 75 and over

with a mortgage would have been

considered financially burdened in

Census 2000. However, over 8 in

10 householders 75 and over

owned their homes outright.

The same pattern holds for units

without a mortgage, but median

selected monthly owner costs as a

percentage of household income in

1999 were quite low compared

with mortgaged units. The only

age groups with medians over 

10 percent were those aged 15 to

24 (12.9 percent), 65 to 74 

(11.2 percent), and 75 and over

(13.6 percent).

GEOGRAPHIC

DISTRIBUTION OF

MORTGAGE STATUS AND

HOMEOWNER COSTS

Homeowners in the West 

were most likely to have 

a mortgage.6

Nationally, 70 percent of specified

owner-occupied units were mortgaged (see Table 2). At 76.9 percent, the West was the only region

with a percentage higher than the

U.S. level, likely due to the fact

that this region had the highest

proportion of owners who recently

moved into their homes (for

further information on recent

movers, see the statistical brief on

Housing Structural and Occupancy

Characteristics: 2000). The other

three regions reported rates with

similar values: 67.7 percent in the

Northeast, 69.0 percent in the

Midwest, and 68.0 percent in the

South (these percentages are

statistically different).

Median selected monthly

costs for units with a

mortgage were highest in the

West, and lowest in the South.

The West reported the highest

median monthly costs at $1,289,

closely followed by the Northeast

at $1,274. The Midwest ($976)

and the South ($967) enjoyed

monthly owner costs far below the

national median of $1,088.

Housing cost increases from 

1990 to 2000 were highest in the

Midwest (18.0 percent) despite the

relatively low homeowner costs in

this region.7 The lowest increase

was in the South (11.9 percent); as

a result, the South supplanted the

Midwest as the region with the

lowest monthly homeowner costs

between 1990 and 2000. A similar

switch occurred between the

Northeast and the West — the

Northeast was highest in 1990 and

the West in 2000. Increases were

13.1 percent for the Northeast and

15.4 percent for the West between

1990 and 2000. Nationally, median selected monthly costs

increased 15.7 percent for units

with a mortgage, not significantly

different from those in the West.

For units without a mortgage,

monthly owner costs were

above the national median

only in the Northeast.

Median monthly costs were $405 in

the Northeast, well above the $295

for the United States nationally,

probably due to higher real estate

taxes and utility costs in the region.

The South reported the lowest

median ($262), while the Midwest

and West were both estimated at

$290, close to the national level.

In general, median selected monthly

owner costs increased more slowly

from 1990 to 2000 for homes

owned free and clear than for those

with a mortgage — 10.5 percent for

the nation. However, in the South

and the West, the increase was

greater for unmortgaged than for

mortgaged homes.

Homeowners in West Virginia

were more likely than those 

in other states to have 

no mortgage.

Although, nationally only 30 percent of all specified owner-occupied

units were owned free and clear,

this percentage varied among the

states (see Table 2). West Virginia

topped all states with nearly half of

its homeowners (47.7 percent) owning their homes outright. North

Dakota and Louisiana were the two

other states reporting rates over 

40 percent (41.9 and 40.3 percent,

respectively).

On the other hand, homeowners in

Nevada were least likely to have

no mortgage (18 percent). Seven

states had nonmortgage rates

under 25 percent: California,

Colorado, Georgia, Maryland,

Nevada, Utah, and Washington.8

6 The West region includes the states of

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii,

Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,

Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The South region includes the states of

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,

Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South

Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West

Virginia, and the District of Columbia, a state

equivalent. The Northeast region includes the

states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Midwest region includes the states of

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota,

Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. 7 1990 owner costs were adjusted to

2000 dollars using CPI-U-RS factor 1.277636.

8 Virginia at 24.9 percent and Arizona at

25.1 percent, showed no statistical difference from 25.0 percent.
6 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 2.

Mortgage Status for the United States, Regions, and States, and for Puerto Rico:

1990 and 2000

(Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area Specified

owner

occupied,

1990

Specified

owner

occupied,

2000

Specified owner occupied

with a mortgage

Specified owner occupied

without a mortgage

1990 2000 1990 2000

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

United States . . 45,550,059 55,212,108 29,811,735 65.4 38,663,887 70.0 15,738,324 34.6 16,548,221 30.0

Region

Northeast.......... 8,874,029 10,009,448 5,564,402 62.7 6,779,481 67.7 3,309,627 37.3 3,229,967 32.3

Midwest .......... 11,953,114 14,037,418 7,510,776 62.8 9,692,743 69.0 4,442,338 37.2 4,344,675 31.0

South ............ 15,831,164 19,964,932 10,118,336 63.9 13,582,882 68.0 5,712,828 36.1 6,382,050 32.0

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,891,752 11,200,310 6,618,221 74.4 8,608,781 76.9 2,273,531 25.6 2,591,529 23.1

State

Alabama .......... 764,726 918,570 458,264 59.9 587,895 64.0 306,462 40.1 330,675 36.0

Alaska ............ 77,859 105,620 59,489 76.4 78,582 74.4 18,370 23.6 27,038 25.6

Arizona ........... 678,958 1,032,103 498,614 73.4 773,328 74.9 180,344 26.6 258,775 25.1

Arkansas .......... 433,048 513,483 241,412 55.7 312,244 60.8 191,636 44.3 201,239 39.2

California .......... 4,773,895 5,527,618 3,687,978 77.3 4,367,361 79.0 1,085,917 22.7 1,160,257 21.0

Colorado .......... 645,565 903,259 496,121 76.9 715,493 79.2 149,444 23.1 187,766 20.8

Connecticut ........ 649,970 728,244 449,008 69.1 520,076 71.4 200,962 30.9 208,168 28.6

Delaware .......... 139,059 177,323 93,778 67.4 129,692 73.1 45,281 32.6 47,631 26.9

District of Columbia . . 73,658 76,289 46,967 63.8 55,138 72.3 26,691 36.2 21,151 27.7

Florida ............ 2,414,406 3,242,202 1,668,542 69.1 2,323,452 71.7 745,864 30.9 918,750 28.3

Georgia ........... 1,153,109 1,596,408 810,603 70.3 1,201,569 75.3 342,506 29.7 394,839 24.7

Hawaii ............ 147,510 173,861 102,601 69.6 122,128 70.2 44,909 30.4 51,733 29.8

Idaho ............. 178,506 255,077 119,692 67.1 186,647 73.2 58,814 32.9 68,430 26.8

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,113,422 2,470,338 1,350,593 63.9 1,724,034 69.8 762,829 36.1 746,304 30.2

Indiana............ 1,152,343 1,378,878 742,515 64.4 978,279 70.9 409,828 35.6 400,599 29.1

Iowa.............. 571,870 665,442 319,340 55.8 417,849 62.8 252,530 44.2 247,593 37.2

Kansas ........... 507,512 581,960 306,884 60.5 382,518 65.7 200,628 39.5 199,442 34.3

Kentucky .......... 671,433 806,461 389,536 58.0 521,748 64.7 281,897 42.0 284,713 35.3

Louisiana .......... 746,570 864,810 429,514 57.5 516,660 59.7 317,056 42.5 348,150 40.3

Maine............. 215,996 254,866 131,558 60.9 169,138 66.4 84,438 39.1 85,728 33.6

Maryland .......... 984,921 1,178,779 710,691 72.2 916,046 77.7 274,230 27.8 262,733 22.3

Massachusetts...... 1,014,824 1,187,871 691,108 68.1 850,347 71.6 323,716 31.9 337,524 28.4

Michigan .......... 1,943,809 2,269,175 1,235,196 63.5 1,580,828 69.7 708,613 36.5 688,347 30.3

Minnesota ......... 902,805 1,117,489 624,273 69.1 829,081 74.2 278,532 30.9 288,408 25.8

Mississippi ......... 447,954 532,291 266,664 59.5 330,697 62.1 181,290 40.5 201,594 37.9

Missouri ........... 1,019,220 1,188,442 622,426 61.1 803,068 67.6 396,794 38.9 385,374 32.4

Montana .......... 133,194 165,397 78,899 59.2 106,560 64.4 54,295 40.8 58,837 35.6

Nebraska .......... 318,320 370,495 186,901 58.7 240,096 64.8 131,419 41.3 130,399 35.2

Nevada ........... 185,935 363,321 151,185 81.3 297,994 82.0 34,750 18.7 65,327 18.0

New Hampshire..... 200,219 249,345 144,554 72.2 184,745 74.1 55,665 27.8 64,600 25.9

New Jersey ........ 1,488,145 1,701,732 997,205 67.0 1,215,974 71.5 490,940 33.0 485,758 28.5

New Mexico........ 265,970 339,888 163,863 61.6 216,082 63.6 102,107 38.4 123,806 36.4

New York . . . . . . . . . . 2,414,482 2,689,728 1,564,131 64.8 1,824,984 67.9 850,351 35.2 864,744 32.1

North Carolina ...... 1,233,284 1,615,713 762,675 61.8 1,116,287 69.1 470,609 38.2 499,426 30.9

North Dakota ....... 104,567 122,078 58,441 55.9 70,891 58.1 46,126 44.1 51,187 41.9

Ohio.............. 2,276,743 2,613,123 1,435,245 63.0 1,811,744 69.3 841,498 37.0 801,379 30.7

Oklahoma ......... 625,647 699,452 376,922 60.2 439,410 62.8 248,725 39.8 260,042 37.2

Oregon ........... 516,057 653,869 352,943 68.4 485,655 74.3 163,114 31.6 168,214 25.7

Pennsylvania ....... 2,621,539 2,889,484 1,412,136 53.9 1,798,402 62.2 1,209,403 46.1 1,091,082 37.8

Rhode Island ....... 179,626 202,216 116,397 64.8 142,479 70.5 63,229 35.2 59,737 29.5

South Carolina...... 623,303 783,909 385,604 61.9 523,848 66.8 237,699 38.1 260,061 33.2

South Dakota....... 114,009 137,531 62,312 54.7 83,359 60.6 51,697 45.3 54,172 39.4

Tennessee ......... 949,242 1,205,931 583,674 61.5 795,765 66.0 365,568 38.5 410,166 34.0

Texas............. 3,008,039 3,849,585 1,872,449 62.2 2,471,978 64.2 1,135,590 37.8 1,377,607 35.8

Utah.............. 306,226 427,244 213,968 69.9 323,835 75.8 92,258 30.1 103,409 24.2

Vermont ........... 89,228 105,962 58,305 65.3 73,336 69.2 30,923 34.7 32,626 30.8

Virginia ........... 1,208,434 1,510,798 863,766 71.5 1,135,138 75.1 344,668 28.5 375,660 24.9

Washington ........ 903,351 1,157,462 641,275 71.0 872,307 75.4 262,076 29.0 285,155 24.6

West Virginia ....... 354,331 392,928 157,275 44.4 205,315 52.3 197,056 55.6 187,613 47.7

Wisconsin ......... 928,494 1,122,467 566,650 61.0 770,996 68.7 361,844 39.0 351,471 31.3

Wyoming .......... 78,726 95,591 51,593 65.5 62,809 65.7 27,133 34.5 32,782 34.3

Puerto Rico ....... 672,696 817,927 214,598 31.9 307,109 37.5 458,098 68.1 510,818 62.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 census and Census 2000 Summary File 3.
U.S. Census Bureau 7

Table 3.

Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs by Mortgage Status and as a Percentage of Household Income, for the United States, Regions, States, and for Puerto Rico: 1990 and 2000

(In this table, the ‘‘10–’’ in the last two columns represents ‘‘less than 10 percent’’. Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection,

sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

Median selected monthly owner costs Median selected monthly owner costs

as a percentage of household income

With a mortgage Without a mortgage With a mortgage Without a mortgage

1990 2000 1990 2000 1990 2000 1990 2000

United States ........... $940 $1,088 $267 $295 21.0 21.7 11.1 10.5

Region

Northeast .................. $1,126 $1,274 $364 $405 21.8 22.5 13.1 13.2

Midwest .................... $827 $976 $272 $290 19.3 20.1 11.3 10.2

South ..................... $864 $967 $229 $262 20.8 21.0 10.6 10.0-

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,117 $1,289 $244 $290 23.1 24.0 10- 10.0-

State

Alabama ................... $706 $816 $203 $228 19.1 19.8 10.3 10-

Alaska ..................... $1,353 $1,315 $296 $393 21.5 22.3 10- 10-

Arizona .................... $983 $1,039 $240 $268 22.8 22.1 10- 10-

Arkansas ................... $655 $737 $221 $240 20.0 19.4 12.1 10-

California ................... $1,376 $1,478 $244 $305 24.9 25.3 10- 10-

Colorado ................... $1,022 $1,197 $259 $277 22.5 22.6 10.8 10-

Connecticut ................. $1,400 $1,426 $432 $473 22.9 22.4 12.8 13.1

Delaware ................... $975 $1,101 $256 $267 19.7 20.8 10- 10-

District of Columbia ........... $1,209 $1,291 $319 $313 20.5 22.2 10- 10-

Florida ..................... $917 $1,004 $238 $306 22.3 22.8 10- 10.5

Georgia .................... $942 $1,039 $233 $259 20.9 20.8 10.5 10-

Hawaii ..................... $1,288 $1,636 $217 $271 21.4 26.3 10- 10-

Idaho ...................... $715 $887 $201 $236 19.6 21.5 10- 10-

Illinois ..................... $979 $1,198 $308 $353 20.2 21.7 11.2 11.1

Indiana..................... $714 $869 $240 $255 18.0 19.3 10.2 10-

Iowa....................... $703 $829 $250 $268 18.5 19.1 11.5 10-

Kansas .................... $802 $888 $239 $273 19.5 19.3 10.9 10-

Kentucky ................... $684 $816 $192 $214 18.8 19.6 10- 10-

Louisiana ................... $759 $816 $215 $232 20.6 19.6 11.2 10-

Maine...................... $847 $923 $284 $299 21.4 21.4 12.2 12.1

Maryland ................... $1,173 $1,296 $300 $333 21.1 22.2 10.0 10-

Massachusetts............... $1,258 $1,353 $381 $406 22.3 21.9 12.6 12.4

Michigan ................... $828 $972 $314 $288 18.8 19.6 12.5 10-

Minnesota .................. $925 $1,044 $238 $271 20.4 20.0 10.5 10-

Mississippi .................. $653 $752 $202 $232 20.8 20.4 11.8 10-

Missouri .................... $767 $861 $226 $249 19.1 19.5 10.0 10-

Montana ................... $735 $863 $224 $261 20.2 22.2 10.9 10.4

Nebraska ................... $779 $895 $244 $283 19.7 19.7 11.5 10.5

Nevada .................... $1,067 $1,190 $261 $294 22.4 23.8 10- 10-

New Hampshire.............. $1,278 $1,226 $410 $441 24.4 22.3 14.2 13.6

New Jersey ................. $1,412 $1,560 $488 $567 23.4 23.7 14.6 15.3

New Mexico................. $833 $929 $208 $228 21.6 22.2 10- 10-

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,141 $1,357 $413 $457 21.5 23.2 13.8 13.6

North Carolina ............... $836 $985 $235 $254 20.5 21.3 10.8 10-

North Dakota ................ $777 $818 $245 $270 20.3 19.4 11.9 10.2

Ohio....................... $797 $963 $262 $289 19.0 20.6 11.0 10.6

Oklahoma .................. $731 $764 $210 $231 20.0 19.2 10.9 10-

Oregon .................... $828 $1,125 $289 $303 20.4 23.2 12.7 10.5

Pennsylvania ................ $870 $1,010 $289 $318 20.2 21.6 12.1 12.2

Rhode Island ................ $1,138 $1,205 $371 $406 22.7 22.7 13.0 13.4

South Carolina............... $787 $894 $229 $240 19.9 20.5 10.7 10-

South Dakota................ $724 $828 $249 $279 19.9 19.7 12.6 10.5

Tennessee .................. $759 $882 $217 $240 20.1 21.1 10.2 10-

Texas...................... $908 $986 $247 $296 20.9 20.1 11.5 10.9

Utah....................... $851 $1,102 $236 $249 20.9 22.9 10- 10-

Vermont .................... $917 $1,021 $335 $378 21.9 22.4 14.1 13.9

Virginia .................... $1,060 $1,144 $245 $263 21.9 21.4 10- 10-

Washington ................. $942 $1,268 $248 $338 20.4 23.8 10- 10.4

West Virginia ................ $636 $713 $183 $207 18.5 19.5 10- 10-

Wisconsin .................. $866 $1,024 $321 $333 20.1 20.9 12.8 11.2

Wyoming ................... $781 $825 $207 $229 19.4 19.7 10- 10-

Puerto Rico ................ $408 $625 $82 $124 22.3 27.9 10- 12.5

Note: 1990 owner costs were adjusted to 2000 dollars using CPI-U-RS factor 1.277636.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 census and Census 2000 Summary File 3.
For units with a mortgage,

half the states had median

monthly owner costs over

$1,000.

Census 2000 found 25 states (plus

the District of Columbia) with

median owner costs over $1,000

and 25 under that amount (see

Table 3). Nationally, the median

was $1,088 for owners with a

mortgage; 18 states (and the

District of Columbia) exceeded the

U.S. median.

States with the highest median

monthly costs were concentrated

in the West and the Northeast.

Hawaii, at $1,636, exceeded all

other states. Among the ten states

with the highest costs, those in the

West were Alaska, California,

Hawaii, and Washington. New

Jersey was second among all states

($1,560); four other states in the

Northeast were also among the

highest ten — Connecticut,

Massachusetts, New Hampshire,

and New York. Maryland was the

only southern state in the top ten

(although the District of Columbia

was not significantly different than

Maryland).

Seven of the 11 states with the

lowest median monthly costs

(below $850) were in the South:

Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma,

and West Virginia. Three were in

the Midwest: Iowa, North Dakota,

and South Dakota. Wyoming was

the only state in the West with a

median below $850.

Selected monthly costs 

for owners with a mortgage

increased in all but two states

from 1990 to 2000.

Median selected monthly costs

increased nationally at 15.7 percent over the last decade; only

Alaska and New Hampshire experienced a decline in costs.

States with the biggest increases

were in the West: Oregon 

(35.9 percent), Washington (34.6),

Utah (29.5), Hawaii (27.0), and

Idaho (24.1).

The northeastern states 

were the most expensive to

live in for homeowners 

with no mortgage.

New Jersey registered the highest

median monthly costs for homes

owned free and clear, $567, almost

double the national median of

$295. In five other states, all in

the Northeast, median costs

exceeded $400: Connecticut,

Massachusetts, New Hampshire,

New York, and Rhode Island.

Of the dozen states with the lowest monthly owner costs for homes

without a mortgage, nine were in

the South and three in the West.

The lowest medians were in West

Virginia ($207) and Kentucky

($214).

Homeowner costs increased

for those without a mortgage

from 1990 to 2000, but not 

as much as for those with 

a mortgage.

Costs increased 15.7 percent for

homeowners with a mortgage, but

only 10.5 percent for those who

owned their homes free and clear in

the last decade. Michigan was the

only state to register a decrease in

owner costs for homeowners without a mortgage (although the

District of Columbia experienced no

statistical difference between 1990

and 2000). Because of sampling

error, the state estimates given may

not be significantly different from

one another or from other state

estimates not listed.

The highest cost increases were in

Washington (36.3 percent), Alaska

(32.8 percent), and Florida 

(28.6 percent). California and

Hawaii also had cost increases

greater than 20 percent.

Interestingly, Alaska was one of

two states (New Hampshire was

the other) to show a decrease in

owner housing costs for units with

a mortgage, but an increase for

those without a mortgage.

Higher homeowner costs were

concentrated in relatively 

few counties.

Figure 3 presents Census 2000

median selected monthly owner

costs for mortgaged units for

states and counties. Specified

owner-occupied units at or above

the national median of $1,088

tended to cluster in certain areas,

such as the Boston-Washington corridor, California, south Florida,

Puget Sound, the Colorado

Rockies, and in some larger metropolitan areas such as Chicago,

Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Dallas.

Only about 300 counties (less than

10 percent) were at or above the

U.S. median.

If the entire mortgaged homeowner inventory for the whole United

States were divided into four equal

groupings or quartiles, the lowest

would have monthly owner costs

under $773, the next one-quarter

would be between $773 and the

median of $1,088, another onequarter would be between the

median and $1,532, and the highest quarter would be above

$1,532. Only about 50 counties

had medians in this upper quartile,

an indication that high homeowner

costs were concentrated in a few

large counties, such as

Westchester, New York; Santa

Clara, California; Fairfax, Virginia;

and Lake, Illinois. Counties with

medians under $600 were generally in Appalachia and in the center

of the nation from north to south.

Figure 4 presents median selected

monthly owner costs for units with

8 U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau

9

Housing Costs for Units Witha Mortgage: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 SummaryFile 3. American Factfinder at factfinder.census.govprovides census data and mapping tools.

U.S. medi

U

Figure 3.

0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 

0 100 Miles

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)
10 U.S. Census Bureau 

Housing Costs for Units Without a Mortgage: 2000 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3. American Factfinder at factfinder.census.gov provides census data and mapping tools. 

U.S. me

U.S. me

Figure 4. 0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 

0 100 Miles 

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf) 
no mortgage. The map of these

costs by county resembles the pattern of costs for homeowners with

a mortgage, with a few exceptions

such as Kansas, Nebraska, and the

Dakotas. The lower quartile for

units without a mortgage was

$219, the median was $295, and

the upper quartile started at $411.

Places of 100,000 or More

With the Highest Median

Selected Monthly Owner Costs

for Units With a Mortgage

Clustered in the Northeast

and the West.

The places with the highest owner

costs for mortgaged units are

shown in Table 4. Stamford,

Connecticut, led all large places

with a median of $2203. Table 5

presents places with the highest

owner costs for units without a

mortgage.

Flint, Michigan, recorded the lowest median selected monthly

owner costs for units with a mortgage for places with 100,000 or

more people (see Table 6). Flint

also showed the lowest median

housing values for large cities, as

cited in the report Home Values:

2000 (C2KBR-20). The places with

the lowest median owner costs for

units without a mortgage are presented in Table 7.

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

How did the percentage of

housing owned without a

mortgage vary by age?

Householders under 25 were 

more likely to own their homes

free and clear than the next two

age groups, possibly the result of

inheritance from parents or other

older relatives. Figure 5 shows

data on nonmortgaged homes by

age of householder for specified

owner-occupied housing units. A

rate as high as that of the 15-to-24

group was not achieved until the

45-to-54 group. The rate then

climbed steadily by age, reaching

81.5 percent for those 75 years

and over.

In general, homeowner costs

declined by age of the house,

but rose slightly for the

oldest homes.

For units with a mortgage, median

selected monthly owner costs were

$1,331 for new homes (those built

between 1995 and March 2000).

Medians steadily declined, reaching

a low of $917 for houses built

1940 to 1949, then rose to $931

for those built before 1940. For

those without a mortgage, new

homes showed a median monthly

U.S. Census Bureau 11

Table 4.

Places of 100,000 or More With the Highest Median

Selected Monthly Costs for Units With a Mortgage: 2000

For specified owner-occupied housing units

(Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

Specified owneroccupied units

with a mortgage

Median

selected monthly

owner costs

90-percent

confidence

interval

Stamford, CT ........... 12,841 $2,203 $2,152 - $2,254

Sunnyvale, CA .......... 14,299 $2,051 $2,004 - $2.098

Honolulu, HI (CDP)* ..... 23,799 $2,043 $2,005 - $2,081

San Jose, CA........... 122,324 $1,936 $1,924 - $1,948

Glendale, CA ........... 16,836 $1,936 $1,901 - $1,971

Thousand Oaks, CA . . . . . 24,942 $1,916 $1,890 - $1,942

Yonkers, NY ............ 10,730 $1,906 $1,870 - $1,942

Irvine, CA .............. 23,960 $1,897 $1,872 - $1,922

Fremont, CA............ 34,797 $1,896 $1,875 - $1,917

Cambridge, MA ......... 2,999 $1,896 $1,796 - $1,996

*Honolulu is a Census Designated Place (CDP). By agreement with the state of Hawaii, the Census

Bureau does not show data separately for the city of Honolulu, which is coextensive with Honolulu

county.

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from rates for geographic areas not listed in this table.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3.

Table 5.

Places of 100,000 or More With the Highest Median

Selected Monthly Costs for Units Without a Mortgage:

2000

For specified owner-occupied housing units

(Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

Specified owneroccupied units

without a mortgage

Median

selected monthly

owner costs

90-percent

confidence

interval

Yonkers, NY ............ 7,082 $704 $686 - $722

Stamford, CT ........... 5,193 $682 $663 - $701

Paterson, NJ............ 1,797 $615 $592 - $638

Jersey City, NJ.......... 2,827 $569 $554 - $584

Naperville, IL ........... 3,864 $540 $526 - $554

Cambridge, MA ......... 1,454 $526 $480 - $572

Coral Springs, FL ....... 2,410 $521 $502 - $540

New Haven, CT ......... 2,345 $516 $495 - $537

Plano, TX .............. 5,862 $513 $497 - $529

Elizabeth, NJ ........... 2,159 $512 $493 - $531

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from rates for geographic areas not listed in this table.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3.
cost of $330, while houses built

from 1990 to 1994 had a cost of

$335. Costs then declined steadily

to a low of $268 for homes built

between 1940 to 1949, then, like

mortgaged houses, rose slightly to

$277 for those built before 1940.

How did housing affordability

vary among states?

Median selected monthly owner

costs as a percentage of household

income in 1999 for units with a

mortgage exceeded 25 percent in

only two states — California and

Hawaii (see Table 3). The most

affordable housing was in the

Midwest and the South, where the

median was below 20 percent for

several states.

For homes without a mortgage,

eight of the nine northeastern

states showed medians at 12 percent or higher, while no state outside this region had a median at

this level.9 In fact, many states

had median costs under 10 percent

for homes owned free and clear.

In the West, median selected monthly costs as a percentage of household income were highest in the

nation for houses with a mortgage

(24 percent), but relatively low for

homes owned free and clear (less

than 10 percent). The Midwest

showed an opposite trend: the

median of 20.1 percent was the

lowest among the regions for units

with a mortgage, but, at 10.2 percent, was the second-highest for

homes without a mortgage.

ABOUT CENSUS 2000

Why Census 2000 Asked

About Homeowner Costs

The U.S. Census Bureau collects

data on selected monthly owner

costs which are the sums of

payments for mortgages, deeds of

trust, or similar debts on the property (including payments for the

first mortgage, second or junior

mortgages, and home equity

loans); real estate taxes; fire, hazard, and flood insurance on the

property; utilities (electricity, gas,

water, and sewer); and fuels (oil,

coal, kerosene, wood, etc.). It also

includes, where appropriate,

monthly condominium fee.

Selected monthly owner costs as a

percentage of household income in

1999 are also computed as a

measure of housing affordability.

These data are used by the

Department of Housing and Urban

12 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 6.

Places of 100,000 or More With the Lowest Median

Selected Monthly Costs for Units With a Mortgage: 2000

For specified owner-occupied housing units

(Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

Specified owneroccupied units

with a mortgage

Median

selected monthly

owner costs

90-percent

confidence

interval

Flint, MI ................ 17,371 $640 $630 - $650

Evansville, IN ........... 18,720 $698 $688 - $708

Springfield, MO ......... 20,193 $699 $689 - $709

South Bend, IN ......... 16,361 $708 $696 - $720

Waco, TX .............. 9,343 $724 $706 - $742

Birmingham, AL ......... 32,435 $730 $722 - $738

Kansas City, KS......... 19,805 $731 $720 - $742

Fort Wayne, IN.......... 34,384 $732 $724 - $740

Shreveport, LA.......... 26,445 $747 $735 - $759

Abilene, TX............. 13,364 $749 $734 - $764

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from rates for geographic areas not listed in this table.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3.

Table 7.

Places of 100,000 or More With the Lowest Median

Selected Monthly Costs for Units Without a Mortgage:

2000

For specified owner-occupied housing units

(Data based on a sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

Specified owneroccupied units

with a mortgage

Median

selected monthly

owner costs

90-percent

confidence

interval

Springfield, MO.............. 11,597 $207 $203 - $211

Pueblo, CO ................. 9,010 $212 $208 - $216

East Los Angeles, CA (CDP) . . 3,436 $221 $213 - $229

Norwalk, CA ................ 3,477 $225 $218 - $232

Shreveport, LA .............. 16,496 $231 $227 - $235

Huntsville, AL ............... 11,384 $231 $226 - $236

Columbus, GA............... 9,803 $231 $226 - $236

Evansville, IN ............... 10,100 $234 $230 - $238

Fort Wayne, IN . ............. 12,765 $235 $231 - $239

Birmingham, AL ............. 17,041 $239 $235 - $243

Louisville, KY................ 19,560 $239 $236 - $242

Lafayette, LA................ 8,615 $239 $233 - $245

Lexington-Fayette, KY........ 12,909 $239 $236 - $242

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from

one another or from rates for geographic areas not listed in this table.

Source: Census 2000 Summary File 3.

9 Maine, at 12.1 percent, showed no statistical difference from 12.0 percent.
Development in many of its housing assistance programs and the

Department of Health and Human

Services to assess the need for

housing assistance for elderly,

handicapped, and low-income

homeowners. These items also

provide benchmark statistics to

measure progress toward the

Congressional declaration of goals

for national housing policy: a

decent home and suitable living

environment for every American

family.

Accuracy of the Estimates

The data contained in this report

are based on the sample of households who responded to the

Census 2000 long form.

Nationally, approximately 1 out of

every 6 housing units was included

in this sample. As a result, the

sample estimates may differ somewhat from the100-percent figures

that would have been obtained if

all housing units, people within

those housing units, and people

living in group quarters had been

enumerated using the same questionnaires, instructions, enumerators, and so forth. The sample

estimates also differ from the values that would have been obtained

from different samples of housing

units, people within those housing

units, and people living in group

quarters. The deviation of a sample estimate from the average of

all possible samples is called the

sampling error. 

In addition to the variability that

arises from the sampling procedures, both sample data and 100-

percent data are subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling error

may be introduced during any of

the various complex operations

used to collect and process data.

Such errors may include: not enumerating every household or every

person in the population, failing to

obtain all required information

from the respondents, obtaining

incorrect or inconsistent information, and recording information

incorrectly. In addition, errors can

occur during the field review of the

enumerators’ work, during clerical

handling of the census questionnaires, or during the electronic

processing of the questionnaires.

Nonsampling error may affect the

data in two ways: (1) errors that

are introduced randomly will

increase the variability of the data

and, therefore, should be reflected

in the standard errors; and (2)

errors that tend to be consistent in

one direction will bias both sample

and 100-percent data in that direction. For example, if respondents

consistently tend to underreport

their incomes, then the resulting

estimates of households or families by income category will tend

to be understated for the higher

income categories and overstated

for the lower income categories.

Such biases are not reflected in the

standard errors.

While it is impossible to completely

eliminate error from an operation

as large and complex as the decennial census, the Census Bureau

attempts to control the sources of

such error during the data collection and processing operations.

The primary sources of error and

the programs instituted to control

error in Census 2000 are described

in detail in Summary File 3

Technical Documentation under

Chapter 8, “Accuracy of the Data,”

located at www.census.gov/prod

/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf.

Technical documentation for the

Residential Finance Survey is located in the following Census Bureau

publications: 1960 Census of

Housing, Volume V, Residential

U.S. Census Bureau 13

Figure 5.

Percentage of Homeowners Who Did Not Carry a 

Mortgage by Age of Householder: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3.

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality 

protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

75 and

over

15 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 to 74

14.1

6.2 8.8

16.2

35.3

63.6

81.5
Finance, Introduction, Sample

Design and Sampling Variability;

1970 Census of Housing, Volume

V, Residential Finance, Appendix C,

Accuracy of the Data; 1980 Census

of Housing, HC-80-5, Residential

Finance, Appendix D, Accuracy of

the Data; and 1990 Census of

Housing, CH-4-1, Residential

Finance, Appendix D, Source and

Accuracy of the Estimates.

All statements in this Census 2000

Brief have undergone statistical

testing and all comparisons are significant at the 90-percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted.

The estimates in tables, maps, and

other figures may vary from actual

values due to sampling and nonsampling errors. As a result, estimates in one category may not be

significantly different from estimates assigned to a different category. Further information on the

accuracy of the data is located at

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000

/doc/sf3.pdf. For further information on the computation and use of

standard errors, contact the

Decennial Statistical Studies

Division at 301-763-4242. 

For More Information

The Census 2000 Summary File 3

data are available from the

American Factfinder on the Internet

(factfinder.census.gov). They were

released on a state-by-state basis

during 2002. For information on

confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, sampling error, and

definitions, also see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000

/doc/sf3.pdf or contact the

Customer Services Center at 

301-763-INFO (4636).

Information on population and

housing topics is presented in the

Census 2000 Brief series, located

on the Census Bureau’s Web site at

www.census.gov/population/www

/cen2000/briefs.html. This series,

which will be completed in 2003,

presents information on race,

Hispanic origin, age, sex, household type, housing tenure, and

social, economic, and housing

characteristics, such as ancestry,

income, and housing costs.

For additional information on housing, including reports and survey

data, visit the Census Bureau’s

Internet site on at www.census.gov

/hhes/www/housing.html. To find

information about the availability

of data products, including reports,

CD-ROMs, and DVDs, call the

Customer Services Center at 

301-763-INFO (4636), or e-mail 

webmaster@census.gov. 

14 U.S. Census Bureau