Robert R. Callis               For Release 10:00 AM EDT, April 24, 1995
Alan Friedman                                   CB95-77
(301) 763-8165


  CENSUS BUREAU REPORTS ON RESIDENTIAL VACANCIES AND HOMEOWNERSHIP  

     National vacancy rates in the first quarter 1995 were 7.4
percent  (+/-0.3) in rental housing and 1.5 percent (+/-0.1) in
homeowner housing, the Department of Commerce's Census Bureau
announced today.  The Bureau said that the rental vacancy rate was
not significantly different from the first quarter 1994 rate or the
rate last quarter.  The homeowner vacancy rate was higher than the
rate a year ago, but not significantly different from the rate last
quarter.   


     Table 1.  RENTAL AND HOMEOWNER VACANCY RATES, FOR THE UNITED    
               STATES: 1980 to 1995


          Rental Vacancy Rates        Homeowner Vacancy Rates
      
     
    First  Second   Third  Fourth  First   Second  Third   Fourth
  quarter quarter quarter quarter quarter quarter quarter quarter

1995  7.4                           1.5
1994  7.5     7.4    7.2    7.4     1.4     1.4    1.4     1.6
1993r 7.8     7.6    7.0    6.9     1.4     1.4    1.4     1.4
1993  7.9     7.6    7.1    6.9     1.4     1.4    1.4     1.4
1992  7.4     7.7    7.3    7.1     1.5     1.6    1.6     1.5
1991  7.5     7.3    7.6    7.3     1.7     1.8    1.8     1.6
1990  7.5     7.0    7.2    7.2     1.7     1.7    1.7     1.7
1989r 7.5     7.4    7.6    7.1     1.7     1.7    1.9     1.8

1989  7.3     7.3    7.3    6.8     1.5     1.6    1.8     1.6
1988  8.0     7.7    7.8    7.3     1.6     1.6    1.6     1.6
1987  7.4     7.5    8.1    7.8     1.7     1.7    1.7     1.6
1986  6.9     7.3    7.5    7.7     1.5     1.7    1.6     1.6
1985  6.3     6.2    6.8    6.7     1.8     1.9    1.8     1.6
1984  5.6     5.5    6.0    6.3     1.6     1.7    1.7     1.7
1983  5.7     5.5    5.8    5.5     1.4     1.5    1.6     1.6
1982  5.3     5.1    5.3    5.5     1.4     1.6    1.5     1.6
1981  5.2     5.0    5.0    5.0     1.3     1.3    1.5     1.4
1980  5.2     5.6    5.7    5.0     1.3     1.4    1.4     1.4

rRevised.
     The metropolitan/nonmetropolitan data shown in table 2 reflect
1990 census definitions.  The CPS/HVS began a major geographic
redesign in April 1994.  The survey is gradually replacing sample
cases selected from the 1980 census over a 15-month phase-in period
with new sample cases drawn from the 1990 census.  For the first
quarter 1995, we have converted the remaining 1980 sample cases to
reflect 1990 metropolitan/nonmetropolitan definitions.  The first
quarter 1994 metropolitan/nonmetropolitan data, which reflect 1980
census definitions, are not comparable to 1995
metropolitan/nonmetropolitan data and therefore are not shown in
this press release.

     For rental housing, the vacancy rates were highest in central
cities (8.3 percent) and lowest in the suburbs (6.4 percent).  The
rental vacancy rate outside Metropolitan Areas (MAs) was 7.4
percent.

     For homeowner housing, the vacancy rate was highest in central
cities (2.1 percent).  The homeowner vacancy rates in the suburbs
(1.3 percent) and outside MAs (1.4 percent) were not significantly
different from each other.


           Table 2.  RENTAL AND HOMEOWNER VACANCY RATES,             
                     BY REGION:  FIRST QUARTER 1995 AND 1994         
            
              Rental vacancy rates         Homeowner vacancy rates              
     
               1st   1st Std err Standard  1st   1st Std err Standard    
Area           Qtr   Qtr on 1995 error on  Qtr   Qtr on 1994 error on           
               1995  1994   rate  differ-  1995  1994    rate  differ-          
                                    ence                         ence           
                                                          

United States.. 7.4  7.5   0.2     0.2     1.5   1.4    0.1     0.1             
           
 Inside MAs.... 7.4   NA   0.2      NA     1.6    NA    0.1      NA    
  In central 
 cities........ 8.3   NA   0.3      NA     2.1    NA    0.1      NA    
  Not in central
 cities(suburbs)6.4   NA   0.2      NA     1.3    NA    0.1      NA
 Outside MAs... 7.4   NA   0.4      NA     1.4    NA    0.1      NA
 
 Northeast..... 7.3  7.3   0.4     0.5     1.6   1.4    0.1     0.2 
 Midwest....... 6.7  7.0   0.3     0.5     1.4   0.9    0.1     0.1
 South......... 8.3  8.2   0.3     0.4     1.6   1.7    0.1     0.1
 West.......... 6.8  7.2   0.3     0.5     1.6   1.6    0.1     0.2 

rRevised.

   The rental vacancy rate was highest in the South (8.3 percent), while rates
in the Northeast, Midwest, and West were not significantly different from each
other.  The rental vacancy rates in each region were approximately the same as
one year ago.     

   For homeowner housing, the vacancy rates in the Northeast, South, and West
were each 1.6 percent.  In the Midwest, the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4
percent.  None of the rates in any region were significantly different from
each other.  The homeowner vacancy rate in the Midwest was higher than the
first quarter 1994 rate, while rates in the other regions showed no significant
change from a year ago.

   There were an estimated 112.4 million housing units in the United States in
the first quarter 1995.  Approximately 99.8 million were occupied, 64.1 million
by owners and 35.7 million by renters.  Of the 12.6 million vacant housing
units, 9.4 million were for year-round use, while the remaining 3.2 million
were intended for seasonal use.  Approximately 2.9 million of the year-round
vacant units were for rent, 1.0 million were for sale only, and the remaining
5.5 million were vacant for a variety of reasons.                            

   Table 3.  ESTIMATES OF THE TOTAL HOUSING INVENTORY FOR THE 
               UNITED STATES:  FIRST QUARTER 1995
                       (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                
                                      Standard  Percent
           Type                       Estimate  error on   distri-              
                                     estimate   bution                          
                   
                                          
           All housing units........   112,359         230    100
                                                             
Occupied............................    99,772         237     89
  Owner occupied....................    64,050         229     57
  Renter occupied...................    35,722         191     32
                                                             
Vacant..............................    12,587         123     11
 Year-round vacant..................     9,401         107      8
 For rent...........................     2,882          60      3  
  For sale only.....................     1,003          36      1  
   Other............................     5,516          83      5 
                                                             
  Seasonal..........................     3,186          63      3


   During the first quarter 1995, the homeownership rate was 64.2 percent
(+/-0.3).  The homeownership rate was not significantly different from the rate
last quarter or the first quarter 1994 rate.  

Table 4.  HOMEOWNERSHIP RATES FOR THE UNITED STATES:  1980 to 1995

                                 Homeownership Rates1

         Year           First       Second       Third      Fourth
                       quarter      quarter     quarter     quarter

1995.................    64.2
1994.................    63.8        63.8        64.1        64.2
1993r................    63.7        63.9        64.2        64.2
1993.................    64.2        64.4        64.7        64.6
1992.................    64.0        63.9        64.3        64.4
1991.................    63.9        63.9        64.2        64.2
1990.................    64.0        63.7        64.0        64.1
1989r................    63.9        63.8        64.1        63.8
                                                          
1989.................    63.9        63.9        64.0        63.8
1988.................    63.7        63.7        64.0        63.8
1987.................    63.8        63.8        64.2        64.1
1986.................    63.6        63.8        63.8        63.9
1985.................    64.1        64.1        63.9        63.5
1984.................    64.6        64.6        64.6        64.1
1983.................    64.7        64.7        64.8        64.4
1982.................    64.8        64.9        64.9        64.5
1981.................    65.6        65.3        65.6        65.2
1980.................    65.5        65.5        65.8        65.5

1Standard errors for quarterly homeownership rates for the United   States
generally are 0.2 percent.
rRevised.


     The data in this release are the result of a sample survey and are,
therefore, subject to sampling variability.  For example, the standard error on
the estimated rental vacancy rate of 7.4 is 0.2 percentage points. 
Consequently, the 90 percent confidence interval as shown by these data is from
7.1 to 7.7; i.e., the interval 7.4 +/- (1.6 x 0.2) percentage points.  Thus,
one can say with about 90 percent confidence that the average estimate derived
from all possible samples is included in this confidence interval.  The 90
percent confidence intervals are shown in the text above for selected items. 
The standard errors for other figures in this release are given in the tables.
   Hypothesis testing may be performed at various levels of significance, where
a level of significance is the probability of concluding that the parameters
are different when, in fact, they are identical.  All statements of comparison
in the text have passed a hypothesis test at the 0.10 level of significance. 
This means that, for differences cited in the text, the estimated difference
between characteristics is greater than 1.6 times the standard error of the
difference.
   In addition to sampling error, the figures in this release, both the
estimates and their standard errors, are also subject to rounding error.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau