Table 2.  Rental and Homeowner Vacancy Rates, by Area:  First Quarter 2007 and 2008

          (in percent)





                                    Rental vacancy rates





                           First        First           90-Percent

         Area             quarter      quarter   Confidence Interval (&plusmn;)a

                           2007         2008     of 2008 rate of difference





United States..........        10.1         10.1          0.4          0.5



  Inside Metropolitan

     Statistical Areas.        10.1         10.0          0.5          0.5

    In principal cities..      10.2          9.7          0.6          0.6

    Not in principal cities

    (suburbs)..........        10.1         10.3          0.7          0.8

  Outside Metropolitan

    Statistical Areas..        10.0         10.7          1.5          1.6



 Northeast.............         7.1          7.3          0.7          0.8

 Midwest...............        12.1         11.8          0.9          1.0

 South.................        13.1         12.7          0.9          1.0

 West..................         6.5          7.0          0.7          0.9







                                    Homeowner vacancy rates





                           First        First             90-Percent

         Area             quarter      quarter   Confidence Interval (&plusmn;)a

                           2007         2008     of 2008 rate of difference



United States..........         2.8          2.9          0.1          0.2



  Inside Metropolitan

     Statistical Areas.         2.9          3.1          0.2          0.2

    In principal cities         4.0          4.3          0.4          0.4

    Not in principal cities

    (suburbs)..........         2.4          2.5          0.2          0.2

  Outside Metropolitan

    Statistical Areas..         2.2          2.3          0.3          0.4



 Northeast.............         1.9          2.0          0.3          0.4

 Midwest...............         2.9          2.9          0.3          0.3

 South.................         3.2          3.2          0.2          0.3

 West..................         2.6          3.2          0.3          0.4

 

    aA 90-percent confidence interval is a measure of an estimate's reliability.  The larger the confidence interval is, in

     relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate.

Note:  Metropolitan Statistical Area data for 2005 and later are not comparable to earlier data.  Beginning in first quarter 2005,

the Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey is using the new metropolitan and micropolitan statistical definitions

which were announced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in June 2003, and were based on the application of

the 2000 standards to Census 2000 data.  OMB announced updates as of December 2003, based on application of the

2000 standards to more recent Census Bureau estimates. In this report, outside Metropolitan Statistical Areas includes micropolitan

and non-metropolitan statistical areas.  The December 2003 definitions are available at:

http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metrodef.html and 

http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/aboutmetro.html.