Some new Census Bureau data reveals yet another way New Yorkers are very different from the rest of the country: About 65% of New Yorkers rent their homes, whereas about 67% of Americans own a home.
The NY Times notes that the half of renters and one third of mortgage holders nationwide "spent at least 30 percent of their gross income on housing costs, the level many government agencies consider the limit of affordability." Which means what most people do in NYC is totally not affordable.
Another intriguing stat from the Census' American Community Survey: When taking the five boroughs together, the median price for a home is $496,000 in NYC, but the median in Manhattan is $788,000 (per the NY Times). Also: DC has the greatest percentage of college graduates, the percentage of married-with-children couples decreased from 23.5% (2000) to 21.6% (2006), and California and Hawaii have the highest median value of owner-occupied homes.
