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Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -48- Analysis of the Seven Planning Regions Centre County is divided into seven planning regions. Each planning region reflects unique geography and populations. The population density and therefore, the housing stock, also varies widely from one region to the next. The Centre Region contains over half of all households and housing units in the County. State College Borough alone has over a quarter of all housing units in the County and the Mountaintop and Upper Bald Eagle Regions have the fewest housing units. The housing vacancy rate in the County is lower than that in However, vacancy rates reported in the Census include seasonal housing, which accounts for the high vacancy rates in Penns Valley Region, Lower Bald Eagle Region, Moshannon Valley Region and Mountaintop Region. As shown in Table 4 of Appendix F, the rate of growth in the number of housing units in Centre County over the past decade significantly exceeds that for as a whole. Only the Moshannon Valley Region shows slower growth in housing units than The percentage of households owning their homes is lower in Centre County than in This is largely due to the large student population living in the Centre Region. Since the Centre Region contains over half the population of the County, the overall rate of owning a home looks low. However, in all of the other planning regions, the percentage of households owning a home is equal to or far above the state percentage. In four regions---Lower and Upper Bald Eagle, Mountaintop and Penns Valley, the rate of homeownership exceeds 80%. ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -49- Chart 13: Percentage of Households Owning their Homes by Planning Region 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0% Centre County Centre Region Lower Bald Eagle Region Upper Bald Eagle Region Moshannon Valley Region Mountaintop Region Penns Valley Region Nittany Valley Region 1990 2000 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census 2000 There are two sources of data available from the County that describe changes in housing inventories and prices. The first are real estate transfers and the second are values of new homes listed in building permits. Real estate transfers are homes that have been sold at least one time after being developed. These data illustrate the turnover of existing housing units and the prices existing houses command in the regional markets. Seasonal housing and trailers are not included in these data. Not surprisingly, from 1992 through 2002, 64% to 69% of all housing transfers in the County took place in the Centre Region, with a significant drop in 2001. All other regions have very stable numbers of transfers each year. The Nittany Valley Region had an upward tick in 2002 along with the Centre Region. The number of residential transfers increased by 50% of the previous year’s housing transfer total in the Nittany Valley Region. ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -50- Chart 14: Patterns of Residential Transfers by Region 1992 to 2002 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 [PHONE REDACTED] 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Centre Region Lower Bald Eagle Valley Region Nittany Valley Region Upper Bald Eagle Region PennsValley Region Mountaintop Region Moshannon Valley Region Source: Centre County Changes in average values of residential transfers show an upward trend across all planning regions, although Penns Valley Region had the slowest rate of increase in residential transfer prices. The average residential transfer prices in all other regions were about 60% higher in 2002 compared to 1992. In 2002, the average transfer price varied from $70,285 in the Mountaintop Region to $163,752 in the Centre Region. Table 15: Average Residential Transfer Values 1992 and 2002 by Region Region 1992 2002 Centre County 96,637 145,774 Centre Region 109,935 163,752 Lower Bald Eagle Valley Region 61,358 87,882 Upper Bald Eagle Region 75,839 116,965 Nittany Valley Region 52,546 96,645 Penns Valley Region 86,878 109,387 Mountaintop Region 35,850 70,285 Moshannon Valley Region 43,805 85,759 Source: Centre County ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -51- Chart 15: Average Residential Transfer Values 1992 to 2002 by Region Changes in Average Vlaue of Residential Transfers 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 180,000 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Centre Region Lower Bald Eagle Valley Region Upper Bald Eagle Region Nittany Valley Region PennsValley Region Mountaintop Region Moshannon Valley Region Centre County Source: Centre County The number of building permits for new single family homes varied from year to year but over time, continue at a fairly constant number (Chart 16). Average prices for new single family homes also fluctuated from year to year but showed steady gains through the 12-year time period (Chart 17). Average prices for new single family homes rose fastest in the Moshannon Valley Region from 1991 through 2003 and slowest in the Lower Bald Eagle Region. The Centre Region had the highest average prices for new single family homes throughout this 12-year period, up to twice as high as the prices in several other regions. ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -52- Chart 16: Number of Permits for New Single Family Homes by Region Number of Single Family Permits 1991 to 2003 0 50 100 150 200 250 [PHONE REDACTED] 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Centre Region Lower Bald Eagle Valley Region Nittany Valley Region Upper Bald Eagle Region PennsValley Region Mountaintop Region Moshannon Valley Region Source: Centre County ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -53- Chart 17: Average Prices for New Single Family Homes 1991 to 2003 by Region 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Centre Region Lower Bald Eagle Valley Region Nittany Valley Region Upper Bald Eagle Region PennsValley Region Mountaintop Region Moshannon Valley Region Source: Centre County ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -54- Table 16: Average new single family home prices 1992 and 2002 by Region Region 1992 2002 Centre County $98,830 $164,708 Centre Region 108,711 233,592 Lower Bald Eagle Valley Region 37,500 109,627 Upper Bald Eagle Region 76,887 119,444 Nittany Valley Region 55,482 90,419 Penns Valley Region 65,551 140,659 Mountaintop Region 65,730 77,170 Moshannon Valley Region 59,958 97,176 Source: Centre County In 1992 the average residential transfer price for an existing single family home in the Centre Region ($109,935) was greater than the average price in the County for a new single family home ($98,830). In 2002, only in the Nittany Valley Region did the average residential price of transferred homes exceed the average new single family home price. In all other regions in 2002, average single family home prices exceeded average existing home (transferred homes) prices. The difference between the average price of new single family homes and the average price of transferred homes in the Centre Region increased from $1,224 in 1992 to a whopping $69,840 in 2002. The majority of new multifamily units were built in the Centre Region. 1,765 units were built in the ten-year period 1993 to 2003 with 738 of those units were added in a single year ---1995. In 1999, another 326 units were added. The Nittany Valley Region had the second greatest number, 124 units, of multifamily units built over the ten-year period. Housing Cost Burden Housing cost burdens occur when households pay more than 30% of their income for housing costs. Those households with lower incomes have few alternatives if housing values and rental prices are high compared to the wages they can expect to earn. The trade-off may be to: • Rent housing instead of buying a home • Use a larger share of household income than 30% to pay for housing • Live in lesser expensive regions and commute further to work • Live in housing that is not in good physical condition For homeowners, spending too great a share for housing may lead to failure to maintain a home, reducing its value and leading to dangerous or unhealthy conditions. It may also lead to foreclosure if families get behind in mortgage payments. For tenants paying large shares of their income for rent and utilities there is little possibility of buying a home, as demonstrated in the case study of Mark and his family. Insufficient income ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -55- to cover rent and utilities may lead to living in rental properties that are poorly managed and not well maintained and in the extreme, can lead to homelessness. In Centre County, some tenants with high housing burdens may be students attached to the university. However, as shown in the tables below, there are many other residents – including families with children and elderly households that struggle with high housing costs. The Census provides information on households paying in excess of 30% of their income for housing, considered cost burdened by HUD. They also provide data on those who are extremely cost burdened—paying in excess of 50% of their income for housing. The tables below contain estimates of the numbers and percentages of households who experienced housing cost burdens in 2000. Table 17: Estimated Numbers and Percentages of Households with Housing Costs Greater than 30% of Household Income by Household Type, 2000 Owners Renters Total housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 227,619 23.1% 131,700 43.7% 359,319 27.9% Small Families 283,545 16.8% 135,497 28.8% 419,042 19.4% Large Families 66,044 20.0% 28,080 31.3% 94,124 22.4% Other Households 120,447 29.9% 165,362 32.5% 285,808 31.4% All Households 698,268 20.5% 460,443 33.6% 1,158,711 24.3% Total Households in 3,406,185 1,370,366 4,776,551 Owners Renters Total Centre County housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 1,411 17.7% 677 35.0% 2,087 21.1% Small Families 2,653 17.2% 1,347 28.7% 4,001 19.9% Large Families 5,136 20.2% 154 29.3% 5,290 20.4% Other Households 993 26.8% 6,891 55.3% 7,884 48.8% All Households 5,579 18.8% 9,062 46.2% 14,641 29.7% Total Households - Centre County 29,673 19,615 49,288 ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -56- Table 17: Estimated Numbers and Percentages of Households with Housing Costs Greater than 30% of Household Income by Household Type, 2000 (con’t) Owners Renters Total Moshannon Valley housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 106 16.2% 51 23.7% 157 18.1% Small Families 178 17.0% 55 25.6% 233 18.5% Large Families 31 19.4% 8 50.0% 39 22.1% Other Households 71 29.2% 58 21.5% 129 25.2% All Households 387 18.4% 172 24.1% 559 19.8% Total Households - Moshannon Valley 2,100 715 2,815 Owners Renters Total Mountaintop housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 82 28.7% 0 0.0% 82 26.1% Small Families 99 17.4% 16 26.3% 115 18.2% Large Families 36 28.6% 4 25.0% 40 28.2% Other Households 42 39.6% 16 28.6% 58 35.8% All Households 259 23.8% 36 22.4% 295 23.6% Total Households - Mountaintop 1,089 161 1,250 Owners Renters Total Upper Bald Eagle Valley housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 144 33.2% 20 26.3% 164 32.2% Small Families 194 20.5% 32 17.9% 226 20.1% Large Families 64 32.8% 4 20.0% 68 31.6% Other Households 80 33.9% 24 22.2% 104 30.2% All Households 482 26.6% 80 20.9% 562 25.6% Total Households - Upper Bald Eagle Valley 1,812 383 2,195 ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -57- Table 17: Estimated Numbers and Percentages of Households with Housing Costs Greater than 30% of Household Income by Household Type, 2000 (con’t) Owners Renters Total Lower Bald Eagle Valley housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 219 30.0% 20 18.9% 239 28.6% Small Families 238 17.1% 54 18.7% 292 17.4% Large Families 52 19.8% 8 12.9% 60 18.5% Other Households 88 29.1% 48 29.1% 136 29.1% All Households 597 22.2% 130 20.9% 727 22.0% Total Households - Lower Bald Eagle Valley 2,685 622 3,307 Owners Renters Total Nittany Valley housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 286 18.6% 78 20.7% 364 19.0% Small Families 553 17.4% 158 19.2% 712 17.8% Large Families 83 19.5% 43 30.7% 126 22.3% Other Households 177 24.9% 295 30.8% 472 28.3% All Households 1,099 18.8% 570 25.3% 1,668 20.5% Total Households - Nittany Valley 5,855 2,256 8,153 Owners Renters Total Penns Valley housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 258 24.5% 56 38.9% 314 26.2% Small Families 472 25.4% 64 19.2% 536 24.5% Large Families 108 30.4% 28 27.7% 136 29.8% Other Households 169 36.3% 70 31.4% 239 34.7% All Households 1,007 27.0% 218 27.2% 1,225 27.0% Total Households - Penns Valley 3,730 801 4,531 ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -58- Table 17: Estimated Numbers and Percentages of Households with Housing Costs Greater than 30% of Household Income by Household Type, 2000 (con’t) Owners Renters Total Centre Region housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income housing cost > 30% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 498 14.2% 441 42.0% 939 20.6% Small Families 972 14.9% 1,022 36.0% 1,994 21.3% Large Families 237 19.6% 73 35.3% 310 21.9% Other Households 427 24.1% 6,387 59.8% 6,813 54.7% All Households 2,136 16.4% 7,924 53.6% 10,061 36.2% Total Households - Centre Region 25,672 14,783 27,785 *Note: These data include large rounding error introduced in the process of protecting the confidentiality of households for small areas – these are not exact numbers. Elderly are 1 or 2 persons together, at least 1 of whom is 62 years or older Small Families are 2 – 4 related household members living together Large households are 5 or more related household members living together Source: 2000 CHAS Databook ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -59- Table 18: Estimated Numbers and Percentages of Households with Housing Costs Greater than 50% of Household Income by Household Type, 2000 Owners Renters Total housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 98,537 10.0% 64,192 21.3% 162,729 12.6% Small Families 91,139 5.4% 65,396 13.9% 156,535 7.3% Large Families 20,804 6.3% 13,726 15.3% 34,530 8.2% Other Households 51,562 12.8% 85,988 16.9% 137,551 15.1% All Households 262,276 7.7% 228,851 16.7% 491,127 10.3% Total Households in 3,406,185 985,365 4,391,550 Owners Renters Total Centre County housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 558 7.0% 269 13.9% 827 8.3% Small Families 787 5.1% 606 12.9% 1,392 6.9% Large Families 1,754 6.9% 73 13.9% 1,828 7.0% Other Households 463 12.5% 4,299 34.5% 4,762 29.5% All Households 1,988 6.7% 5,237 26.7% 7,225 14.7% Total Households - Centre County 29,673 19,615 49,288 Owners Renters Total Moshannon Valley housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 34 5.2% 19 8.8% 53 6.1% Small Families 54 5.2% 18 8.4% 72 5.7% Large Families 12 7.5% 4 25.0% 16 9.1% Other Households 55 22.6% 31 11.5% 86 16.8% All Households 155 7.4% 72 10.1% 227 8.1% Total Households - Moshannon Valley 2,100 715 2,815 ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -60- Table 18: Estimated Numbers and Percentages of Households with Housing Costs Greater than 50% of Household Income by Household Type, 2000 (con’t) Owners Renters Total Mountaintop housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 36 12.6% 0 0.0% 36 11.5% Small Families 46 8.1% 4 6.6% 50 7.9% Large Families 24 19.0% 4 25.0% 28 19.7% Other Households 18 17.0% 8 14.3% 26 16.0% All Households 124 11.4% 16 9.9% 140 11.2% Total Households - Mountaintop 1,089 161 1,250 Owners Renters Total Upper Bald Eagle Valley housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 56 12.9% 16 21.0% 72 14.1% Small Families 84 8.9% 8 4.5% 92 8.2% Large Families 32 16.4% 4 20.0% 36 16.8% Other Households 32 13.6% 4 3.7% 36 10.5% All Households 204 11.3% 32 8.4% 236 10.8% Total Households - Upper Bald Eagle Valley 1,812 383 2,195 Owners Renters Total Lower Bald Eagle Valley housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 99 3.8% 4 13.6% 103 12.3% Small Families 103 7.6% 22 7.4% 125 7.4% Large Families 24 6.5% 4 9.1% 28 8.6% Other Households 32 9.7% 16 10.6% 48 10.3% All Households 258 7.4% 46 9.6% 304 9.2% Total Households - Lower Bald Eagle Valley 2,685 622 3,307 ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -61- Table 18: Estimated Numbers and Percentages of Households with Housing Costs Greater than 50% of Household Income by Household Type, 2000 (con’t) Owners Renters Total Nittany Valley housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 92 6.0% 35 9.3% 127 6.6% Small Families 151 4.7% 74 9.0% 225 5.6% Large Families 18 4.2% 10 7.2% 28 5.0% Other Households 171 24.0% 130 13.6% 301 18.0% All Households 340 5.8% 249 11.0% 589 7.2% Total Households - Nittany Valley 5,855 2,256 8,153 Owners Renters Total Penns Valley housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 151 14.3% 28 19.5% 179 14.9% Small Families 134 7.2% 24 7.2% 158 7.2% Large Families 40 11.3% 8 7.9% 48 10.5% Other Households 74 15.9% 24 10.8% 98 14.2% All Households 399 10.7% 84 10.5% 483 10.7% Total Households - Penns Valley 3,730 801 4,531 Owners Renters Total Centre Region housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income housing cost > 50% of Income Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Elderly 197 5.6% 164 15.6% 361 7.9% Small Families 255 3.9% 470 16.6% 725 7.7% Large Families 78 6.5% 43 20.8% 121 8.6% Other Households 214 12.1% 4,084 38.2% 4,298 34.5% All Households 744 5.7% 4,759 32.2% 5,503 19.8% Total Households - Centre Region 25,672 14,783 27,785 ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -62- *Note: These data include large rounding error introduced in the process of protecting the confidentiality of households for small areas – these are not exact numbers. Elderly are 1 or 2 persons together, at least 1 of whom is 62 years or older. Small Families are 2 – 4 related household members living together. Large households are 5 or more related household members living together. Source: 2000 CHAS Databook Corresponding to differences in housing prices, affordability varies in different parts of the County. Countywide, of those earning less than 80% median area income, 2,129 or just over 9% of all owner-occupants paid more than 30% of their income for housing including taxes and insurance. In Ferguson Township, only 7.5% of all homeowners with incomes below 80% of the median area income paid more than 30% of their income to housing costs. Lower income households are less likely to be homeowners in some regions of the county. In State College Borough just 16% (358) of total homeowners out of 2,295 had incomes under 80% of the median value as compared to 24% (400) out of 1,688 homeowners in Spring Township. Tenants also have widely different experiences. In Patton Township, fifty-four percent of renter occupied units had tenants with less than 80% of the median as compared to 61% in Ferguson Township where rental units have increased rapidly over the past 15 yeas. In Centre County as a whole, 46 % of all renters paid more than 30% of their income for rent and 19% of all homeowners paid more than 30% of their incomes for housing costs The percentage of cost burdened renters exceeded that in the state as whole but was lower for homeowners. Looking across the seven planning regions, the largest cost burden is among renters in the Centre Region where 53.6% are cost burdened. The largest percentage of elderly renters experiencing a cost burden are in Penns Valley (39%) and the Centre Region While these are high percentages within the context of Center County where overall 35% of elderly tenants are rent burdened, they are lower than for the state as a whole where nearly 44% of elderly renters are paying more than 30% of their income for rent. Elderly homeowners in Centre County also had a lower percentage of cost burden than the state as a whole, 18% in Centre County versus 23% for the state. However, the rates were significantly higher in several of the planning regions: in Upper Bald Eagle, 33% of elderly homeowners were cost burdened, in Lower Bald Eagle, 30% and in Mountaintop, 29%. Households Experiencing One or More Burdens in 2000 In order to provide a more in depth look at housing deficiencies in Centre County, we looked at households of varying incomes that were experiencing one or more of the following in 2000: that paid more than 30% of their income to housing; were overcrowded; were without complete kitchen facilities; and/or were without complete plumbing facilities. Households with incomes below 50% are considered low income, and those with incomes below 30% of the median are considered very low income. Not surprisingly, the lower the income, generally the more likely a household is to experience one or more housing burden. ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -63- There were 1,195 families of two to four family members with incomes equal to or less than 50% of the HUD median area income renting housing in 2000 that faced housing problems. Larger tenant households with five or more family members also experienced problems, with 195 families with incomes equal to or less than 50% of the HUD median area income facing housing problems in 2000. Elderly tenants and non- elderly tenants with daily living limitations also had more problems with their housing if their income was at or below 50% of the HUD median area income. Table 19: Centre County Tenant Household Burdens in 2000 Centre County Number of households Experiencing One or More of Four Housing Problems Income Compared to HUD Median Area Income < 30.0% 30.1% - 50% 50.1% - 80.0% 80.1% - 95.0% >95% Elderly Family HH 62+ 10 30 10 0 25 Elderly Non-Family HH 62+ 180 260 115 20 50 Xtra Elderly HH 75+ w/limitation 60 35 30 15 15 Xtra Elderly HH 75+ no limitation 65 150 40 4 55 Elderly HH 62-74 w/limitation 30 30 4 0 0 Elderly HH 62-74 no limitation 30 70 45 0 4 Non-elderly HH w/limitation 245 85 65 10 20 Non-elderly HH no limitation 4190 2875 1275 150 185 Non-elderly small family HH 635 560 275 20 40 Non-elderly large family HH 100 95 25 4 35 Non-elderly non-family HH 3700 2305 1035 135 135 *Note: These data include large rounding error introduced in the process of protecting the confidentiality of households for small areas – these are not exact numbers. Elderly are 1 or 2 persons together, at least 1 of whom is 62 years or older Small Families are 2 – 4 related household members living together Large households are 5 or more related household members living together Source: 2000 CHAS Databook Owner Occupants in the County also struggled to afford housing. There were 775 small families with two to four family members and incomes at or below 50% of the HUD median area income who paid more than 30% of their income for mortgage, taxes, homeowner insurance and utilities or were overcrowded, were without complete kitchen facilities and/or were without complete plumbing facilities in 2000. There were 235 larger families with five or more family members who faced similar problems. For homeowners, not having a mortgage does not necessarily relieve household burdens. Elderly persons owning their homes and living alone or with unrelated persons were more likely to be poor and struggle with housing than those living with related family members. ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -64- Table 20: Centre County Homeowner Burdens in 2000 Centre County Number of households Experiencing One or More of Four Housing Problems Income Compared to HUD Median Area Income < 30.0% 30.1% - 50% 50.1% - 80.0% 80.1% - 95.0% >95% Elderly Family HH 62+ 140 135 145 50 160 Elderly Non-Family HH 62+ 410 225 85 55 40 Xtra Elderly HH 75+ w/limitation with a mortgage 40 35 20 10 4 Xtra Elderly HH 75+ no limitation with a mortgage 10 10 20 10 15 Elderly HH 62-74 w/limitation with a mortgage 20 45 25 10 30 Elderly HH 62-74 no limitation with a mortgage 60 80 125 70 130 Non-elderly HH w/limitation with a mortgage 90 70 105 40 90 Non-elderly HH no limitation with a mortgage [PHONE REDACTED] 440 1195 Xtra Elderly HH 75+ w/limitation no mortgage 90 45 4 0 0 Xtra Elderly HH 75+ no limitation no mortgage 130 70 4 0 10 Elderly HH 62-74 w/limitation no mortgage 70 15 10 4 10 Elderly HH 62-74 no limitation no mortgage 135 60 20 0 4 Non-elderly HH w/limitation no mortgage 55 4 10 4 4 Non-elderly HH no limitation no mortgage 195 50 15 20 10 Non-elderly small family HH 305 470 705 370 890 Non-elderly large family HH 85 150 205 80 185 Non-elderly non-family HH 280 150 305 60 230 Source: CHAS data, U.S. Census 2000 For the lowest income groups, both tenants and homeowners experienced housing burdens, either due to cost burdens or poor household conditions in 2000. As expected, as incomes increase the percentage of households experiencing housing burdens fall. There are far fewer homeowners in the very lowest income groups than there are tenants. This is also to be expected. As shown in Tables 5 to 12 in Appendix F, the planning regions experienced a varied rate of problems among homeowners. The tables are estimates from HUD tables that come from samplings of households. For this reason, the seven regions do not sum to equal the county data. However, these data provide a good idea of the differences ---PAGE BREAK--- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment: A Blueprint for Action -65- between the regions and an estimate within about 10 of the total number of households affected by housing problems. The Centre Region both contains the largest number of households and the largest percentage of tenants. For both homeowners and tenants, over 50% of households with income at or below 60% of the local area median income had housing problems. Households with higher income than in other regions struggled more to own and maintain their housing than elsewhere in the county. Tenants in the Centre Region had by far the highest housing burdens in the county with 57% of all tenant households reporting problems. The modal category of income for tenants with housing problems is less than or equal to 20% of the median area income reflecting in part, the student population. Both the Nittany Valley Region and Penns Valley Region had more than 50% of tenants with incomes at or below 50% of the median area income with housing problems. These two regions have many fewer tenants than the Centre Region. None of the other four planning regions had such high percentages of tenants experiencing housing problems at 50% of median area income. Homeowners in all but the Centre Region had more problems with housing. In the Centre Region 17% of homeowners experienced housing problems in 2000, while almost 27% of homeowners in the Penns Valley Region had housing problems and almost 26% of homeowners in the Upper Bald Eagle Region. The distribution of households among the income levels that experience housing problems varies by region. Almost 95% of homeowners in the Moshannon Valley Region with incomes at or below 20% of the median area income had housing problems, but only 64% of homeowners in the same income group in the Penns Valley Region had similar problems.