Census Bureau Releases American Community Survey Data

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Tax Credit Advisor, October 2009: The U.S. Census Bureau on September 22 released its latest data from the American Community Survey (ACS), providing a statistical portrait of the characteristics of the nation’s population in 2008.

The ACS compiles information on more than 40 topics (social, housing, demographic, economic) for about three million households each year. The latest survey data incorporates three new survey topics related to health insurance coverage, marital history, and VA service-connected disability rating.

The median household income in 2008 ranged from a high of $70,545 for Maryland to $37,790 for Mississippi. Five states (Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Texas) had an increase in real median household income between 2007 and 2008, while five states had a decrease (Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Michigan).

California homeowners with mortgages had the highest median housing costs in the nation, $2,834, followed by New Jersey ($2,360), Hawaii ($2,265), the District of Columbia ($2,218), and Connecticut ($2,108).

An analysis of the new data by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition showed that renters are paying an greater percentage of their income toward rent. The number of renters with unaffordable housing cost burdens – those spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities – increased from 16.8 million to 17.4 million from 2006 to 2008. The lowest income renters are hardest hit: 87.6% of renter families earning $20,000 or less have an unaffordable housing cost burden, compared to 15.3% of those earning $50,000 or more. Median gross rents increased from $763 to $824 between 2006 and 2008. The share of units renting for under $500 fell from 16.9% to 16.3%, as the share renting for $1,500 or more rose from 10% to 11.2%.
      (http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/014237.html)