Table 2.  Rental and Homeowner Vacancy Rates, by Area:  Fourth Quarter 2005 and 2006
                 (in percent)


                                    Rental vacancy rates


                          Fourth       Fourth           90-Percent
         Area             quarter      quarter   Confidence Interval (&plusmn;)a
                           2005         2006     of 2006 rate of difference


United States..........         9.6          9.8          0.4          0.5

  Inside Metropolitan
     Statistical Areas�         9.4          9.9          0.5          0.5
    In principal cities         9.4         10.1          0.6          0.6
    Not in principal cities
    (suburbs)..........         9.3          9.5          0.7          0.8
  Outside Metropolitan
    Statistical Areas��        10.9          9.7          1.5          1.6

 Northeast.............         6.7          6.5          0.7          0.8
 Midwest...............        12.3         11.9          0.9          1.0
 South.................        11.4         12.4          0.9          1.0
 West..................         7.0          7.0          0.8          0.9



                                    Homeowner vacancy rates


                          Fourth       Fourth           90-Percent
         Area             quarter      quarter   Confidence Interval (&plusmn;)a
                           2005         2006     of 2006 rate of difference

United States..........         2.0          2.7          0.1          0.2

  Inside Metropolitan
     Statistical Areas�         2.0          2.8          0.2          0.2
    In principal cities         2.7          3.6          0.4          0.4
    Not in principal cities
    (suburbs)..........         1.7          2.4          0.2          0.2
  Outside Metropolitan
    Statistical Areas��         2.1          2.3          0.3          0.3

 Northeast.............         1.6          2.0          0.3          0.4
 Midwest...............         2.4          2.9          0.3          0.3
 South.................         2.2          3.0          0.2          0.3
 West..................         1.7          2.4          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.