Robert R. Callis               For Release 10:00 AM EDT, April 22, 1996
Ellen Wilson                                   CB96-58
(301) 763-8165

                         CENSUS BUREAU REPORTS ON 
                  RESIDENTIAL VACANCIES AND HOMEOWNERSHIP
 
     National vacancy rates in the first quarter 1996 were 7.9 (+/-0.3)
percent in rental housing and 1.6 (+/-0.1) percent in homeowner housing, the
Department of Commerce's Census Bureau announced today.  The Bureau said
that the rental vacancy rate was higher than in the first quarter 1995, but
not significantly different from last quarter.  The homeowner vacancy rate
was not significantly different from the first quarter 1995 rate or the
rate last quarter. 
 
Table 1.  RENTAL AND HOMEOWNER VACANCY RATES FOR THE UNITED STATES:         
          1980 to 1996 (in percent)

               Rental vacancy rates              Homeowner vacancy rates
          First   Second    Third   Fourth    First   Second   Third  Fourth
 Year   quarter  quarter  quarter  quarter  quarter  quarter quarter quarter

          .                                  .                  
1996...   7.9                                 1.6  
1995...   7.4      7.7      7.7      7.7      1.5      1.6     1.5     1.6
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.    


     For rental housing, the vacancy rate was highest outside Metropolitan
Areas (MAs) (9.6 percent) and lowest in the suburbs (7.1 percent).  

     For homeowner housing, the vacancy rate was highest in central cities
(2.1 percent) and lowest in the suburbs (1.3 percent).  

     Among regions, the rental vacancy rate was highest in the South and
Midwest (about 8.5 percent).  The rental vacancy rates in the Northeast and
West were not significantly different from each other.  The rental vacancy
rate in the Midwest was higher than the first quarter 1995 rate, while
rates in the Northeast, South, and West did not differ significantly from
one year ago.  

     Homeowner vacancy rates in each region showed no significant change
from a year ago.


     Table 2.  RENTAL AND HOMEOWNER VACANCY RATES BY REGION:
               FIRST QUARTER 1996 AND 1995 (in percent)


                        Rental vacancy rates         Homeowner vacancy rates   

  Area                 1st   1st Std err Standard   1st   1st Std err Standard 
                       Qtr   Qtr on 1996 error on   Qtr   Qtr on 1996 error on 
                      1996  1995    rate  differ-  1996  1995   rate   differ-  
                                             ence                         ence 

                       .                            .  
United States.......  7.9   7.4    0.2      0.2    1.6   1.5    0.1      0.1 

  Inside MAs........  7.6    NA    0.2      NA     1.6    NA    0.1      NA 
   In central cities  8.0    NA    0.3      NA     2.1    NA    0.1      NA
   Not in central   
   cities (suburbs).  7.1    NA    0.3      NA     1.3    NA    0.1      NA
   Outside MAs......  9.6    NA    0.5      NA     1.7    NA    0.1      NA
                    
  Northeast.........  6.9   7.3    0.4      0.5    1.7   1.6    0.1      0.2
  Midwest...........  8.3   6.7    0.4      0.6    1.5   1.4    0.1      0.2
  South.............  8.5   8.3    0.3      0.4    1.6   1.6    0.1      0.1
  West.............   7.6   6.8    0.3      0.5    1.7   1.6    0.1      0.2

NA Not available.  We are working to correct a problem with the first quarter
1995 metropolitan/nonmetropolitan data.  We will issue any revisions as soon as
they become available.

rRevised.


     There were an estimated 113.3 million housing units in the United
States in the first quarter 1996.  Approximately 100.5 million were
occupied, 65.5 million by owners and 35.0 million by renters.  Of the 12.8
million vacant housing units, 9.7 million were for year-round use, while
the remaining 3.1 million were intended for seasonal use.  Approximately
3.0 million of the year-round vacant units were for rent, 1.1 million were
for sale only, and the remaining 5.6 million were vacant for a variety of
reasons.


 Table 3.  ESTIMATES OF THE TOTAL HOUSING INVENTORY FOR THE 
           UNITED STATES:  FIRST QUARTER 1996

                       (Numbers in thousands)

                                             Standard     
           Type                  Estimate    error on        Percent
                                             estimate   distribution
                                
           All housing units.....    113,258      239          100  
                                                   
Occupied.........................    100,472      246           89
  Owner..........................     65,453      240           58
  Renter.........................     35,019      198           31
                                                 
Vacant...........................     12,786      128           11
  Year-round.....................      9,656      113            9
   For rent......................      3,026       64            3
   For sale only.................      1,066       38            1
   Other.........................      5,564       87            5
                                  
  Seasonal.......................      3,130       65            3


     During the first quarter 1996, the homeownership rate was 65.1 percent
(+/-0.3).  The homeownership rate was higher than a year ago, but not
significantly different from the rate last quarter.  

     Table 4.  HOMEOWNERSHIP RATES FOR THE UNITED STATES:  1980 to 1996
               (in percent)

                                    Homeownership Rates1
        Year         
                         First      Second       Third      Fourth
                       quarter     quarter     quarter     quarter

                           .     
1996.................    65.1   
1995.................    64.2        64.7        65.0        65.1  
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.

 Note:  This press release along with more detailed data is available on the 
 Internet.  Our Internet address is http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/. 

     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 7.9 is 0.2 percentage points. 
Consequently, the 90 percent confidence interval as shown by these data is
from 7.6 to 8.2; i.e., the interval 7.9 +/- (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 nonsampling error.