Recent Housing Construction
Housing constructed after 2010 has increased in the six-county region. Lycoming has seen the largest increase in its recent housing construction, having more housing units built after 2010 than ever before. In contrast, Montour County has seen the smallest increase in housing construction after 2010 at 12 percent, but this can be attributed to its relatively small population size compared to the other counties in the region.
Age of Housing
In the six-county region, a total of 52,306 housing units built before 1940 remain. This total comprises 31.5 percent of all housing units in the region as of 2021, which is higher than that of the Commonwealth (26.0 percent). Northumberland County has the highest percentage of housing units built before 1940 of the five counties (41.9 percent), whereas Montour and Snyder Counties share the lowest percentages (21.9 percent and 22.4 percent, respectively).
Housing Affordability
For owner-occupied housing, affordability is measured by the monthly cost of ownership. Selected Monthly Owner Costs (SMOC), as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, include mortgage payment, real estate taxes, various insurances, utilities, fuels, mobile home costs, and condominium fees. Only owner-occupied units with mortgages are included in this dataset.rnrnFrom 2017 to 2021, the region’s median SMOC was mostly between 22.0 percent and 23.0 percent of the median household income for homeowners. As of 2021, the percentage of income for owner costs was higher in Columbia, Northumberland, and Union Counties (22.7 percent, 22.9 percent, and 22.7 percent, respectively) than the statewide percentage (21.5 percent). Ratios have been lower over the last several years than the comparison year of 2010 for all six counties and statewide, indicating that on average, homeowners have become somewhat less burdened by housing costs over time. Because this statistic is a ratio of homeownership costs to median income, there is no need to adjust for inflation.rnrnA similar calculation was used for rental housing. The median rent as a percentage of median renter household income for all seven geographies has fluctuated, usually staying within a few percentage points of 20 percent in recent years. A household is considered cost-burdened when housing-related spending exceeds 30.0 percent of its income, meaning that it may struggle to afford other necessities.rnrnThe ratio of median rent to median income increased to 16.7 percent in Northumberland County. Similarly, this ratio also increased in Columbia County, albeit by 0.1 percent. In contrast, the other counties in the region saw a decrease in the ratio of median rent to median income. Similarly, there was also a decrease in the ratio of median rent to median income at the state level.rnrnIn each geography, the ratio of income to housing costs for homeowners was consistently less favorable than the ratio for renters.rn
Home Value
In this report, current statistics on housing values were obtained from data collected by Zillow. The Zillow Home Value Index is a measure of typical home values in a region for mid-range homes (in the 35th-65th price percentile). Since 2010, there was a steady increase in the home values of the six counties in the region; values for 2023 reflect data through May 31.rnrnBetween 2021 and 2022, the largest increase in home value occurred in Union County (9.3 percent), followed by Lycoming County (7.8 percent). Home values in Columbia and Snyder Counties increased by 4.8 percent in both cases, while Montour County saw an increase of 4.2 percent. The home values in Northumberland County increased by 1.4 percent. At the state level, home values increased by 10.1 percent. None of the growth in the six counties or the state overall exceeded the increases that occurred between 2020 and 2021.rn
Homeownership Rate
In the six-county region, there has been a gradual shift towards homeownership. For example, the percentage of homeowners in Columbia increased to 70.3 percent from its 2020 total of 68.2 percent. Similarly, Lycoming County increased its total of homeownership from 69.6 percent in 2019 to 71.9 percent in 2021. Furthermore, Northumberland and Snyder Counties increased their shares of homeownership to 75.5 percent 74.9 percent, respectively. While Union County also increased its share of homeownership in 2021 to 71.6 percent, it is still lower than the county’s pre-pandemic homeownership shares of 2018 and 2019. Unlike the other counties, Montour saw a decrease in its share of homeownership in 2021. At the state level, the overall share of homeownership in the Commonwealth increased to 69.9 percent from its 2019 total of 68.4 percent.
Vacancy Rate
From 2017 to 2021, the vacancy rate has fluctuated for all counties except Columbia County, which saw a steady increase in its vacancy rate. In 2021 specifically, the vacancy rate for each county decreased from previous year totals with the exception of Columbia and Snyder Counties. Similarly, at the state level, the vacancy rate also decreased in 2021.
Vacant housing, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, can be separated into seven categories: for rent; rented but not occupied; for sale only; sold, not occupied; for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use; for migrant workers; and other vacant. According to available data, Columbia County has the highest percentage of vacant housing that is classified as “other” (6.7 percent). As this excludes common reasons for short-term vacancy of properties, it can be used as a proxy measure of blight. Only Union County has a lower percentage of other vacant housing (3.4 percent) than the statewide percentage (4.1 percent).
Homelessness
Homelessness data is tracked annually via point-in-time counts reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2021, local agencies responsible for conducting the point-in-time counts were given the option of modifying count procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, some data has been limited – in particular, data on shelter status is incomplete and thus the total number of unhoused individuals does not include those unsheltered at the time of the count in cases where unsheltered data was not collected. Regionally, data is reported for the Eastern Pennsylvania Continuum of Care, which is made up of 33 primarily rural counties including Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union Counties.rnrnStatewide, the number of sheltered homeless households fell in January 2021. This may be related to the eviction moratorium or other supports preventing some vulnerable households from becoming homeless. In 2022, the number in emergency shelter rose, though the number who were counted as unsheltered remained lower than levels seen from 2017 to 2020. The percentage of homeless households that were sheltered in either transitional or emergency housing has typically ranged from 82 to 86 percent statewide, but only 73 to 84 percent in the Eastern PA CoC region.rnrnThe portion of homeless individuals who are under age 18 has been gradually falling statewide, and in most years, the region has seen a slightly higher share of children among the unhoused – averaging 27 percent compared to about 24 percent statewide.rn
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Community Vital Signs