Data & Trends

CDFI Fund: Revised Opportunity Zones Resource Data Now Available

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released revised information concerning census tracts that are eligible for nomination as Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs). Specifically, data in the Opportunity Zones Information Resource has been updated from information provided in a February 8, 2018, release to include all census tracts that meet the New Markets Tax Credit…

Census Bureau: Housing Vacancy Survey Annual Results Available for 2017

Today the U.S. Census Bureau released annual statistics for the 2017 rental and homeowner vacancy rates, homeownership rates and characteristics of units available for rent for the United States, regions, states and the 75 largest metropolitan statistical areas. Data for all geographies are from the Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey and are available annually. Homeownership…

FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in January 2018

Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from December to January, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.12 percent for loans closed in late January, up 4 basis points from 4.08 percent in December….

FHFA: U.S. House Prices Rise 1.6 Percent in Fourth Quarter 2017

U.S. house prices rose 1.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI).   House prices rose 6.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017.  FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for December was up 0.3 percent from November. The HPI is…

HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for January 2018

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for January 2018: New Home Sales Sales of new single-family houses in January 2018 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 593,000. This is 7.8 percent (±19.0 percent)* below the revised December…

SBA: Office of the National Ombudsman Releases Annual Report on Small Business Issues

The Office of the National Ombudsman at the U.S. Small Business Administration recently released its annual report to the 115th Congress, rating federal agencies’ responsiveness to the regulatory enforcement issues small businesses faced during fiscal year 2016. Created by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act in 1996, the Office of the National Ombudsman works…

HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report January 2018

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for January 2018. Building Permits: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,396,000. This is 7.4 percent (±1.2 percent) above the revised…

FHFA: Refinance Volume Increases in Fourth Quarter 2017

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed more than 446,295 refinances in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with 362,934 in the third quarter.  FHFA’s fourth quarter Refinance Report also shows that 6,309 loans were refinanced through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), bringing the total number…

Census Bureau: New Census Bureau Data Repository Launched

A new U.S. Census Bureau data repository has been launched as a result of key recommendations made by the 2017 “Report of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking,” in conjunction with the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). The repository, hosted by the ICPSR, improves transparency by establishing a searchable inventory, through which the…

Census Bureau: Census Response Outreach Area Mapper Web Application Released

Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released the Response Outreach Area Mapper (ROAM) web application. This interactive map makes it easier to identify areas that typically have low response rates for censuses and surveys. Community planners and local officials can use this information to plan, focus and allocate resources for encouraging response to the 2020 Census….