Data and Statistics

Next week, the U.S. Census Bureau will release the most detailed information available so far from the 2010 Census, including tables on age, sex, households, families, relationship to householder, characteristics of owners and renters, and race and Hispanic or Latino origin groups. The information will be available for a variety of geographic areas, with most tables available down to the neighborhood block or census tract level.

The national average rent for a modestly priced one-bedroom apartment is more than the entire Supplemental Security Income (SSI) of a person with a disability, according to a study released today by the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force and the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC).

"Priced Out in 2010" reveals people with disabilities receiving SSI need to pay 112 percent of their monthly income to rent a modest one-bedroom unit at the published fair market rent (FMR) determined by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) this week released its "2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress."

Despite a troubled economy, the report shows homelessness up less than 1 percent from 2009 to 2010 — from 404,957 to 407,966. According to the report, more than 1.59 million people spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program during 2010. That's a 2.2 percent increase from the previous year.

The U.S. Census Bureau has released its 2010 demographic profile for Vermont.

The profile includes data on age and sex distributions, race, household relationship and type, group quarters population, housing occupancy (including vacancy status) and tenure (whether the housing occupant owns or rents).

UVM's Center for Rural Studies has more information on its Web site.

A Vermont household renting outside of the Burlington metropolitan area needs to earn at least $16.91 to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment, according to the latest "Out of Reach" report released by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.

Compared to the combined non-metropolitan areas of other states, this ranks Vermont 8th highest in the U.S. Vermont’s combined non-metropolitan area consists of all counties in the state except Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle.

The "Out of Reach" report is a side-by-side comparison of wages and rents in every county, metropolitan area, combined non-metropolitan area, and state in the country.

Homeownership rates in the United States, especially among younger households, have been declining since their peak in 2004, according to recent analysis by the National Home Builder's Association.

VHFA wondered whether Vermont was experiencing the same decline.

We weren't able to look at homeownership rates by age, but instead charted Vermont's overall homeownership rate compared to the national. Interestingly, the U.S. Census Bureau surveys show no statistically significant decline in Vermont.

National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" aired a story yesterday in which they set the Case-Shiller home price index to music. Enjoy.

Vermont 2-1-1's analysis of calls to the helpline in 2010, shows calls related to homelessness were up 30 percent over the previous year.

Some other findings from the organization's recent report:

We've just completed our latest update to the "Vermont housing data profiles" section of Vermont Housing Data. We've added or updated:

The Vermont Economy Newsletter released its annual housing affordability analysis yesterday.

Art Woolf, the report's author, states

Vermont's housing affordability improved in 2010 for the fourth consecutive year, making last year the 5th most affordable year in the 24 years he's published the report.

Woolf cites decline in mortgage rates, combined with slightly higher incomes, as the primary driver. But, he writes, higher home prices reduced affordability.