The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is an interstate, intercounty and intercity agency that provides comprehensive and coordinated planning for the orderly growth of the Delaware Valley region. As the region's metropolitan planning organization (MPO), the Commission provides technical assistance and services to its member state and local governments, the private sector and the public. Delaware Valley Data is our periodic series of free data bulletins and complementary analytical reports and reference guides. This data bulletin contains information from Census 2000 Profiles of General Demographic Characteristics, issued by the United States Census Bureau in May 2001. All information in this bulletin is derived from the 100-percent data compiled from the "short form" questionnaire filled out by all respondents to the 2000 Census.

This bulletin includes municipal-level data on housing occupancy and tenure for DVRPC's extended 28-county data service area. The Commission's extended service area includes the nine DVRPC member counties as well as 19 surrounding counties in Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania (see map on page 5). Additional demographic characteristics on age and sex; race and Hispanic origin; and household types and relationships can be found in Regional Data Bulletins 68, 69 and 70, respectively.

Table 1 summarizes the data included in this bulletin for the nine-county DVRPC region, while Table 2 provides regional and sub-regional totals. Table 3 provides data on housing occupancy and tenure as of April 1, 2000, for each minor civil division in the 28-county extended data service area.

The following variables were selected for this summary:

The Census Bureau defines the above population variables as follows:

Homeowner vacancy rate: The homeowner vacancy rate is the proportion of the homeowner housing inventory which is vacant-for-sale. It is computed by dividing the number of vacant-for-sale units by the sum of the owner-occupied units and vacant-for-sale units, and then multiplying by 100 (for more information, see "vacant unit").

Housing unit: A housing unit may be a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building and which have direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall.

Occupied housing unit: A housing unit is classified as occupied if it is the usual place of residence of the person or group of people living in it at the time of the enumeration, or if the occupants are only temporarily absent; that is, away on vacation or business.

Owner-occupied housing unit: A housing unit is owner-occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit, even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for.

Rental vacancy rate: The proportion of the rental inventory which is vacant-for-rent. It is computed by dividing the number of vacant-for-rent units by the sum of renter-occupied units and the number of vacant-for-rent units and then multiplying by 100.

Renter-occupied housing unit: All occupied housing units which are not owner-occupied, whether they are rented for cash rent or occupied without payment of cash rent, are classified as renter-occupied.

Seasonal, recreational or occasional use housing unit: Seasonal, recreational or occupied use housing units include vacant units used or intended for use only in certain seasons, weekends or other occasional use throughout the year. Interval ownership units, sometimes called shared ownership or time-sharing condominiums, are included in this category (for more information, see "vacant housing unit").

Tenure: All occupied housing units are classified as either owner-occupied or renter-occupied. A housing unit is owner-occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit, even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for. All occupied housing units which are not owner-occupied, whether they are rented for cash rent or occupied without payment of cash rent, are classified as renter-occupied.

Vacant housing unit: A housing unit is vacant if no one is living in it at the time of enumeration, unless its occupants are only temporarily absent. Units temporarily occupied at the time of enumeration entirely by people who have a usual residence elsewhere are also classified as vacant (for more information, see "housing unit").

• New Morgan Borough was formed from portions of Robeson and Caernavon townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
• Birmingham Township, Delaware County, officially changed its name to Chadds Ford Township in January 1997.
• A dashed line () indicates that the information is not available.
• This data bulletin was created from the latest electronic files available from the Census Bureau and may include data which has been updated from previously published data bulletins.

• "9-county DVRPC region" consists of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties in New Jersey.
• "28-county extended data service region" consists of the 9-county DVRPC region and the surrounding 19 counties, which includes portions of Delaware and Maryland.
• "Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City CMSA" consists of the Philadelphia PMSA region, the Atlantic City -Cape May PMSA, the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton PMSA, and the Wilmington- Newark PMSA.
• "Philadelphia PMSA" consists of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties (PA) and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties (New Jersey). "Atlantic City-Cape May PMSA" consists of Atlantic and Cape May counties (New Jersey). "Trenton PMSA" consists of Mercer County (New Jersey). "Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton PMSA" consists of Cumberland County (New Jersey). "Wilmington-Newark PMSA" consists of New Castle County (Delaware) and Cecil County (Maryland).
• The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) changed their definition of CMSA and PMSA in 1992. Any historical comparison of this data with earlier data should be done with caution.

Data bulletin #71 is one of a series of bulletins designed to disseminate information to member state, county and local governments and other interested parties. For more information on Data Bulletins and Analytical Data Reports, please visit the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's website (www.dvrpc.org) or contact DVRPC at the telephone number below.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission was established in 1965 by interstate compact between Pennsylvania and New Jersey to plan for the orderly growth and development of the region, and to provide a variety of planning and technical assistance services responding to regional issues. DVRPC maintains a significant database for twenty-eight counties encompassing New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Included in the database are data profiles at the regional, county and municipal level and for other census geography as requested. DVRPC produces a diverse range of services, including demographic and economic data and projections; mapping and aerial photography; computer assisted mapping; geographic information systems; impact studies; and policy and program development.

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