The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has unveiled a new website (hud.gov/datamap) that consolidates a wide variety of economic and housing market data at the regional, state, metropolitan area and county levels.
Using data from the Census Bureau, Labor Department, state and local governments, housing industry sources, as well as HUD’s own field economists, the new website employs interactive maps that allow visitors to access a variety of reports—from a region-wide look at employment and housing activity to individual county-level figures on population trends, rental activity and vacancy rates.
“This is a powerful new tool that’s easy to use and offers the public a remarkable look at their local economic and housing markets,” said Dr. Raphael Bostic, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. “Current and reliable data shouldn’t be hard to come by. This is precisely why this site will be so helpful to state and local leaders, developers, the real estate industry, and the general public who need the latest available data on their markets.”
HUD’s new website displays an interactive map of the U.S. allowing visitors an intuitive way to seek data in a number of areas of geography – from an entire region down to a particular county. In particular, the portal offers the following reports:
“Market at a Glance” reports contain economic and housing market data trends for every metropolitan area and county nationwide with employment data updated on a monthly basis. Employment data is provided from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and housing data is derived from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Some adjustments are made by HUD field economists based on regional information. The data are expected to be released on a monthly basis for most of the metropolitan areas and counties. Eventually these reports will become “live” documents enabling field economists to include analysis as they complete more in-depth research for specific areas and monitor local conditions.
“Regional Housing Market Profiles” are based on the quarterly U.S. Housing Market Conditions report and include non-farm employment, population changes, and building activity. These regional profiles also focus on the most recent housing rental and sales activity for the past two years. In addition, approximately 10-12 individual metropolitan areas are specifically profiled each quarter to provide these same data down to the metro area level.
“Regional Narratives” are broad overviews of economic and housing market trends within 10 regions of the U.S. These narratives are based on information obtained by HUD economists from state and local governments, from housing industry sources, and from their ongoing investigations of housing market conditions
“Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis” – Periodically, HUD field economists focus on particular metropolitan housing markets to produce counts and estimates of employment, population, households, and housing inventory. Each housing market analysis considers changes in the economic, demographic, and housing inventory characteristics during three periods: from 1990 to 2000; from 2000 to the as-of date of the analysis; and from the as-of date to up three years in the future.
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