Tenure – Renter-Occupied Housing
Tenure provides a measurement of home ownership, which has served as an indicator of the nation’s economy for decades. This data covers all occupied housing units, which are classified as either owner occupied or renter occupied. These data are used to aid in the distribution of funds for programs such as those involving mortgage insurance, rental housing, and national defense housing. Data on tenure allows planners to evaluate the overall viability of housing markets and to assess the stability of neighborhoods. The data also serve in understanding the characteristics of owner occupied and renter occupied units to aid builders, mortgage lenders, planning officials, government agencies, etc., in the planning of housing programs and services.
Renter-Occupied Housing
All occupied housing units that are not owner occupied, whether they are rented or occupied without payment of rent, are classified as renter occupied.
Source
Source Description
The American Community Survey (ACS) is a nationwide survey designed to provide communities with reliable and timely social, economic, housing, and demographic data every year. The ACS has an annual sample size of about 3.5 million addresses, with survey information collected nearly every day of the year. Data are pooled across a calendar year to produce estimates for that year. As a result, ACS estimates reflect data that have been collected over a period of time rather than for a single point in time as in the decennial census, which is conducted every 10 years and provides population counts as of April 1. The Census Bureau combines 5 consecutive years of ACS data to produce estimates for geographic areas with fewer than 65,000 residents. These 5-year estimates represent data collected over a period of 60 months. Because the ACS is based on a sample, rather than all housing units and people, ACS estimates have a degree of uncertainty associated with them, called sampling error. In general, the larger the sample, the smaller the level of sampling error. Data users should be careful in drawing conclusions about small differences between two ACS estimates because they may not be statistically different.
For more information about this source, including data collection methodology and definitions, refer to the American Community Survey data user’s website.
Methodology
Data on tenure are acquired from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Data represent estimates for the 5-year period 2019-2023. Mapped data are summarized to 2023 census tract boundaries This data covers all occupied housing units, which are classified as either owner occupied or renter occupied. A housing unit is owner occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit, even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for. The unit also is considered owned with a mortgage if it is built on leased land and there is a mortgage on the unit. Mobile homes occupied by owners with installment loan balances also are included in this category.
Area statistics for this indicator are measured as a percentage of total occupied households based on the following formula:
For more information on the data reported in the American Community Survey, please see the complete American Community Survey 2023 Subject Definitions.
Data Breakouts Available
- Renter-Occupied Households by Age Group, Total
- Renter-Occupied Households by Age Group, Percent
- Renter-Occupied Households by Race Alone, Total
- Renter-Occupied Households by Race Alone, Percent