Table 2.  Rental and Homeowner Vacancy Rates, by Area:  Third Quarter 2005 and 2006
                 (in percent)


                                    Rental vacancy rates


                           Third        Third                90-Percent
         Area             quarter      quarter          Confidence Interval (&plusmn;)a
                           2005         2006         of 2006 rate      of difference


United States..........         9.9          9.9          0.4          0.5

  Inside Metropolitan
     Statistical Areas..        9.7         10.0          0.5          0.5
    In principal cities.        9.9         10.3          0.6          0.6
    Not in principal cities
    (suburbs)..........         9.5          9.6          0.7          0.8
  Outside Metropolitan
    Statistical Areas..        10.8          9.7          1.5          1.6

 Northeast.............         6.0          7.7          0.7          0.8
 Midwest...............        13.4         12.6          0.9          1.0
 South.................        11.9         11.9          0.9          1.0
 West..................         7.3          6.5          0.7          0.9



                                    Homeowner vacancy rates


                           Third        Third                 90-Percent
         Area             quarter      quarter          Confidence Interval (&plusmn;)a
                           2005         2006     of 2006 rate     of difference

United States..........         1.9          2.5          0.1          0.2

  Inside Metropolitan
     Statistical Areas..        2.0          2.5          0.2          0.2
    In principal cities.        2.6          3.3          0.3          0.4
    Not in principal cities
    (suburbs)..........         1.6          2.2          0.2          0.2
  Outside Metropolitan
    Statistical Areas...        1.8          2.2          0.3          0.3

 Northeast.............         1.4          1.7          0.3          0.3
 Midwest...............         2.3          2.7          0.3          0.3
 South.................         2.2          2.8          0.2          0.3
 West..................         1.5          2.3          0.3          0.3
 
    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.