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Census Bureau to Collect Data on Age-Restricted Housing
The U.S. Census Bureau announced last month that it is following an NAHB recommendation to expand its Survey of Construction (SOC) and begin collecting data on age-restricted housing for people 55 and older, a move that will provide insight into the housing choices of older Americans.
"We appreciate that the Census Bureau accepted our recommendation to include new questions in the survey, beginning in 2009 and going forward, related to both single-family and multifamily age-restricted housing," said Paul Emrath, NAHB's assistant staff vice president of housing policy research.
"With the baby boom generation already crossing the threshold to choose housing that can be legally restricted to people their age, it is important for the housing industry and other stakeholders to have a reliable source of timely and statistically valid data on how many age-restricted housing units are being built in the United States," Emrath said.
The national SOC tracks building permits, housing starts, housing completions and more than 40 physical and financial characteristics of new houses. Its findings are widely used in the housing industry to evaluate market conditions and opportunities.
"This data will give us a reliable way to describe and evaluate our market," said Joanne Theunissen, a builder from Michigan and chair of NAHB’s 50+ Housing Council, a group comprised of builders, developers, architects and marketers of housing that meets the needs of older adults. "While we've always had a handle on our local markets, this will help quantify the big picture."
For more information, e-mail Ann Marie Moriarty at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8350.
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