Homeownership up, but some gaps remain

Published 9:00 pm Monday, November 26, 2001

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Most Americans who are married with children tend to live in homes they own. More single mothers became homeowners over the 1990s, but about two-thirds still rent instead of own.

During a prosperous decade when homeownership rates increased overall for nearly all Americans, demographic discrepancies remained, shows a 2000 census report released today.

Nationally, 66 percent, or 69.8 million of the 105.5 million occupied housing units in 2000, were lived in by the owner, up from 64 percent of the country’s 91.9 million occupied homes in 1990, the Census Bureau said.

The homeownership rate is at its highest point since at least 1890 and has increased steadily since 43.6 percent in 1940.

"Owning one’s home has long been considered a part of the ‘American Dream,’ " the report said. "The post-World War II surge in homeownership was remarkable."

The report summarized housing statistics released earlier this year from the 2000 census.

Of the 54.1 million married couples, 44.2 million — more than 81 percent — owned their homes in 2000, up from 78 percent in 1990. The proportion of married-with-children families who owned homes increased from 73 percent to 77 percent.

Increases among single-parent families were magnified because of the much smaller number of such households, bureau analyst Bonnie Damon said. In 2000: