Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA
09-13-07
Iowa ranks high in home ownership
By DAN GEARINO, Courier Des Moines Bureau
DES MOINES --- New census figures show Iowa remains a place where most
people own their own homes, most parents are in the work force and the
commutes are mercifully short.
According to estimates released today, Iowa had the nation's fifth-highest rate of
owner-occupied housing in 2006, at 73.3 percent. Iowa's rate is up 1 percent
from 2000, when the state ranked seventh.
Minnesota had the highest rate of owner-occupied housing, at 76.3 percent. The
District of Columbia was lowest with 45.8 percent.
The numbers are from the American Community Survey, a questionnaire mailed
to several million households. The survey is part of the Census Bureau's recent
expansion in the size and the frequency of its releases.
One reason for Iowa's high rate of home ownership is house values are relatively
low. The state ranks 43rd in median house value, at 112,600. California is
highest at $535,700 and Mississippi is lowest at $88,600.
"Housing is relatively cheap (in Iowa) and as a result, we have a fairly high rate of
owner occupancy," said Colin Gordon, senior research consultant for the Iowa
Policy Project, a Mount Vernon-based think tank.
But other factors may play a role. For one, Iowa has unusually old housing stock,
which helps keep prices low. The state ranks sixth in percentage of housing units
built in 1939 or earlier, at 29.5 percent.
The only places with a higher percentage of old housing stock are on the East
Coast, topped by the District of Columbia at 38 percent.
Despite inexpensive housing, both parents work in most Iowa families, even
families with young children. Among Iowa families with children 6 years old or
younger, 72 percent have both parents in the labor force. Iowa ranks thirdhighest in this category, behind South Dakota and North Dakota.
The situation is virtually unchanged since 2000, when Iowa ranked second
behind North Dakota.
Iowa State University economist Liesl Eathington says the high number of
working parents is tied to Iowa's relatively low wages.
"For a lot of people, working is a necessity. It's not like they do it because they
like to work," she said.
While many parents work, chances are that they work close to home. The state's
average commute is 18.2 minutes, which ranks 45th. The rank is the same as in
2000, when the average commute was virtually the same, 18.5 minutes.
Eathington said the short commutes are because a large share of Iowa's
population lives near small regional centers. Iowa has few areas with suburban
sprawl and traffic congestion, which makes for short trips to work.
The longest commutes are in New York, at 30.9 minutes. The shortest are in
North Dakota, 15.5 minutes.
Contact Dan Gearino at (515) 243-0138 and dan.gearino@lee.net.