Describing Your Local Housing Market

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Choose “Permanent (Non-Seasonal) Housing, Projected Demand and Need by Type 2005-2025.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. To create the graph with the Chart function in Excel, use only the data on the left half of the page, which represents housing demand. You will need to cut and paste the data to create a worksheet with one column for single-family housing and one column for multi-family housing, with years in rows.

(3) Housing need refers to the net number of units that will need to be constructed to meet increases in demand for housing. To find projected housing construction need for a county or city:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Choose “Permanent (Non-Seasonal) Housing, Projected Demand and Need by Type 2002-2025.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. To create the graph with the Chart function in Excel, use only the data on the right half of the page, which represents housing need. You will need to cut and paste the data to create a worksheet with one column for single-family housing and one column for multi-family housing, with years in rows.

7. Note that we used the housing need numbers to describe the need for new single- and multi-family units in the text that precedes the graphs.

(4) To find the number of households by age of householder in a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. On the next page, choose one or more geographic areas, one or more years, and the indicator “Age of Householder.”

4. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

5. To create the table in Excel, either cut and paste data or use the PivotTable Report tool to place years in columns and age ranges in rows, and to add column totals.

6. We used the numbers for 2005 in the text preceding the table to describe the current householder age breakdown, and compared the 2005 and 2015 age breakdowns to arrive at the percentage changes mentioned in the text.

(5) To find the number of households by tenure (owner/renter status) in a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. On the next page, choose one or more geographic areas, one or more years, and the indicator “Tenure.”

4. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

5. To create the table in Excel, either cut and paste data or use the PivotTable Report tool to place years in columns and tenure in rows, and to add column totals.

(6) To find the number of households by size in a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. On the next page, choose one or more geographic areas, one or more years, and the indicator “Household Size.”

4. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

5. To create the table in Excel, either cut and paste data or use the PivotTable Report tool to place years in columns and household size in rows, and to add column totals.

(7) To find the number of households including a person with a disability age 15+ and with incomes at or below 60% of the area median for a city with population 50,000+ or a county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

2. Choose Disability and Household Characteristics.

3. Choose Substandard Housing, Income and Cost Burden.

4. On the next page, choose one or more geographic areas and the indicators “Household Income” and “Person(s) with Disability Age 15+ in Household.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, either cut and paste data or use the PivotTable Report tool to place the disability status (yes/no) in columns and income levels in rows. Aggregate the 0-20% AMI, 20.1-30% AMI, 30.1-50% AMI, and 50.1-60% AMI rows to find the number of households with incomes at or below 60% of area median by disability status. Use the total for all rows to compute the percentage of households in each disability category that have incomes below 60% AMI.

7. In the text, we noted both the percentage and raw number of households in each disability category with incomes below 60% AMI.

(8) To find the number of households by household income for a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. On the next page, choose one or more geographic areas, one or more years, and the indicator “Household Income.”

4. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

5. To create the table in Excel, either cut and paste data or use the PivotTable Report tool to place years in columns and household income in rows, and to add column totals. We aggregated the 0-20% and 20-29.9% AMI categories into a “Less than 30% AMI” category; the 30-39.9 and 40-49.9% categories into a “30-49.9% AMI” category; and the 50-59.9% and 60-79.9% AMI categories into a “50-79.9% AMI” category.

6. We used 2005 numbers to determine the numbers and percentages of households with incomes below 80% AMI (sum of categories “Less than 30% AMI,” “30-49.9% AMI,” and “50-79.9% AMI”) and below 30% AMI, noted in the text preceding the table.

(9) To find the numberof households by percentage of income paid for housing costs for a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. On the next page, choose one or more geographic areas, one or more years, and the indicator “Housing Cost Burden.”

4. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

5. To create the table in Excel, either cut and paste data or use the PivotTable Report tool to place years in columns and percentage of income spent on housing in rows, and to add column totals.

6. In the text preceding the table, we summed 2005 numbers for “30.01-50%” and “50% or Greater” categories to determine the percentage of cost-burdened households in the county.

(10) To find the number of households by owner/renter status, also called “tenure,” and percentage of income paid for housing costs for a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Under Cost Burden, choose “Cost Burden Summary Table, Owner, 2000” and “Cost Burden Summary Table, Renter, 2000.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. To create the tables in Excel, we transposed rows and columns for each worksheet to place income categories in rows and the number of households in a column. We then calculated each category’s percentage share of households by summing all categories except “Total with Cost Burden 30% or More” and dividing each category’s number of households by this total. Note that you can still calculate the percentage of households included in the “Total with Cost Burden 30% or More” category by dividing its share of households by the total found for all of the other categories combined; the “Total with Cost Burden…” category is simply the sum of the “30%-34%” and “35 or More %” categories. This percentage is noted in the text preceding the table.

7. Note that these tables include “specified” units only. Specified owner-occupied units include only 1-family houses on less than 10 acres without a business or medical office on the property. The data for ‘‘specified units’’ exclude mobile homes, houses with a business or medical office, houses on 10 or more acres, and housing units in multiunit buildings. Specified renter units exclude 1-family homes on 10 acres or more. See Census 2000 Summary File 3 Technical Documentation prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau, 2003.

(11) To find the number of elderly-headed households by percentage of income paid for housing costs for a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. On the next page, choose one or more geographic areas, the year 2005, and the indicators “Housing Cost Burden: and “Age of Householder.”

4. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

5. To create the table in Excel, either cut and paste data or use the PivotTable Report tool to place percentage of income spent on housing in rows. To find elderly-headed households only, use only the 65-74 and 75 and older age categories. Collapse these two categories, either manually or using Pivot Table, and make this household number into one column. We also aggregated the 30-39.9 and 40-49.9% cost burden categories into a “30-49%” category and the 50-74.9% and 75%+ categories into a “50% or greater” category. Add the column total at the bottom of the “Households” column.

6. In the text preceding the table, we summed the values for the “30-49%” and “50% or Greater” categories to determine the percentage of elderly households that are cost-burdened.

(12) To find the number of households by presence of a person age 15+ with a disability and percentage of income paid for housing costs for a city of population 50,000+ or a county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

2. Choose Disability and Household Characteristics.

3. Choose Substandard Housing, Income and Cost Burden.

4. On the next page, choose one or more geographic areas and the indicators “Housing Cost Burden” and “Person(s) with Disability Age 15+ in Household.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, either cut and paste data or use the PivotTable Report tool to place the disability status (yes/no) in columns and cost burden levels in rows. We aggregated the 30-39.9 and 40-49.9% cost burden categories into a “30-49%” category and the 50-74.9% and 75%+ categories into a “50% or greater” category. If desired, add columns showing, for each disability status, what percentage of households fall in each cost burden category. Add column totals.

(13) Housing structures refers to the number of buildings, each of which might contain one or more housing units. For example, a 50-unit building would count as one structure. To find the number of housing structures that are single-family homes, mobile homes, condominiums, and multi-family rental buildings in a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Under Housing Unit Characteristics, choose “Total Units/Homestead.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, use only the data on the left-hand side of the worksheet, which shows total units of each type. Here, we collapsed the two multi-family categories (9 or less units and 10 or more units) into one category. Add a column for total units at right. If desired, total the data on homesteaded units on the right-hand side of the worksheet and use it to calculate the percentage of total units that are homesteaded.

(14) Housing units refers to the number of separate living quarters. For example, a 50-unit apartment building would count as 50 units. To find the number of housing units that are single-family homes, units in multi-family structures, mobile homes, and other types of units for a county or city:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Choose “Housing Units by Type (All Units), 2000, Summary.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. To create the graph with the Chart Function in Excel, use only the data on the left half of the page, which represents the numbers of units in each category. It may be helpful to transpose the columns and rows so that the unit types are in rows before making the graph.

(15) To find the number of units by year built for a county or city:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Choose “Year Structure Built, 2000.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. To create the graph with the Chart function in Excel, use only the data on the left half of the page, which represents the numbers of units in each category. It may be helpful to transpose the columns and rows so that the unit types are in rows before making the graph.

7. In the text preceding the graph, we used the data on share of units in each category on the right-hand side of the worksheet to describe the predominance of newer housing.

(16) To find the median size of units by year built for a county or city:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Under Housing Unit Characteristics, choose “Size.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, use all but the left-most set of columns; those show the mean size for the current year, not the median size for the current or previous year. Cut and paste to create single-family, mobile home, and condominium columns with time periods in years for rows.

(17) To find the number and percentage of units with substandard conditions for a county or city:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Choose “Housing Condition Characteristics, 2000.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, cut and paste to place the types of housing conditions in rows and the numbers and percentage shares of occupied units in columns.

(18) To find the number of occupied and vacant units and the vacancy rate for a county or city:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Choose “Vacancy and Occupancy Status, 2000, Summary.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, cut and paste to place vacancy and occupancy categories in rows and the number or percentage of units in a column. Note that “Occupied,” “Vacant,” and “Total” units in the left-hand worksheet cells refer to permanent units only.

(19) To find the median just value of different home types for a county or city in the most recent year available:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Under Housing Unit Characteristics, choose “Valuations.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, use the data in the middle columns of the worksheet to find median just value for homes of different types.

(20) To find the distribution of homes by values as reported in the 2000 Census for a county or city:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Choose “Value of Owner-Occupied Units, 2000, Summary.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, you may wish to transpose rows and columns to place each home value in a single row before making the graph with the Chart function.

7. Note that the “Value of Specified Owner-Occupied Units” data come from the U.S. Census, where homeowners were asked the values of their own homes. Because county-appraised values of homes are often lower than what the owner expects to receive for his/her house, the Census data will show higher home values than the “median just value” described earlier, which is based on property assessors’ data.

(21) To find the number of sales of different types of homes over time for a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Under “Number of Sales,” check “Show All.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

5. Before making the graph with the Chart function in Excel, cut and paste data to make one table with years in rows and the types of housing in columns. You may also wish to sort the rows ascending by year before making the graph.

(22) To find the median sales prices for different types of homes over time for a city or county:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Under “Median Sales Price: Nominal and Real Sales Price,” check “Show All.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

(23) To find the distribution of homeowners with and without mortgages by their monthly housing costs, as reported in the 2000 Census:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.

3. Choose a county or city.

4. Choose “Owner Costs (Mortgage Status (with a mortgage) and Selected Monthly Costs), 2000, Detail” and “Owner Costs (Mortgage Status (with NO mortgage) and Selected Monthly Costs), 2000.”

5. On the results page, click “Download Excel data” at left.

6. In Excel, transpose rows and columns so that the cost categories are in rows. You may also wish to add a column with each cost category’s percentage share of the total number of households.

(24) To find the distribution of renters by the monthly rent paid for a city or county, as reported in the 2000 Census:

1. Click on the Data Access Tools tab.