BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Mobile Homes
Mobile homes seem to be sprouting up ev erywhere! The United States had 7.3 million in 1990, 2.7 million more than in 1980. These homes rep resented 7 per cent of all housing units in 1990, up from 5 percent a decade earlier.
AK
Where the Mobile Homes Are
Number of mobile homes, by State: 1990
Northeast Midwest
NH
This Brief uses AZ NM data collected in OK the Census of HI Population and TX Housing to ex 200,000 or more amine the charac 100,000 to 199,999 teristics of mobile 50,000 to 99,999 homes and their Below 50,000 occupants in 1990 and how these characteristics homes. Florida had more mobile had changed since 1980. Where homes than any other State these homes were located, their 762,227, or 10 percent of the na affordability, size, and age are tional total. Five other southern among the topics covered, as States Texas, North Carolina, are the age and income levels of Georgia, South Carolina, and Al their occupants. abama also had more than 200,000 each and ranked in the The majority of mobile homes top ten nationally. are located in the South. In 1990, the South contained 52 percent of the Nation's mobile The West stood a distant second among the regions, with 22 percent of America's mobile homes. California and Arizona both among the top 10 States numerically contained more than half the mobile homes there. Another 18 percent of the country's mobile homes were found in the Midwest. Michigan was the only State there in the top 10.
SB/94 10 Issued May 1994
U.S. Department of Commerce
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Economics and Statistics Administration
ÇÇ Ç ÇÇ ÇÇ ÇÇÇ Ç ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇ ÇÇ Ç Ç ÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇÇÇ Ç Ç ÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ ÇÇÇÇÇ ÇÇÇ
WA VT MT ND MN OR ID SD WI NY
ME MA RI CT NJ
West
WY
MI
NE
IA
PA
NV
IL
IN
OH
CA
UT
CO
KS
MO
KY
WV
VA
DE MD DC
TN
NC
AR
SC
MS
LA
AL
GA
South
FL
Mobile homes were much less common in the Northeast than elsewhere. There were only 629,134 in the entire region, fewer than there were in Florida alone. Pennsylvania, with 40 percent of the region's mobile homes, was the North east's lone member of the numerical top ten. Mobile homes comprise a relatively large share of the housing stock in many southern and western States. In 19 States, at least one home in every ten was a mobile home; 18 of these States were located in either the South or West. Wy oming, South Carolina, and New Mexico had the Nation's highest rates just over 16 percent of their housing units were mobile homes. Notably, Wyoming's
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
STATISTICAL BRIEF
May 1994
State and Regional Rankings by Mobile Homes: 1990 and 1980
Mobile Homes: 1990 Percent of all units 7.2% 10 47 7 23 2 29 48 39 51 1 5 50 33 20 19 32 30 16 12 35 36 45 8 28 22 17 34 37 31 40 42 26 13 4 44 11 24 21 6 49 9 43 15 3 38 46 18 14 25 27 41 13.0% 8.7% 15.1% 13.0% 5.0% 5.9% 0.9% 12.0% 0.0% 12.5% 11.3% 0.1% 13.7% 3.3% 6.9% 5.0% 6.8% 12.1% 11.3% 9.1% 2.2% 1.0% 6.4% 4.9% 13.1% 7.4% 15.0% 5.6% 13.6% 6.9% 1.1% 16.3% 2.7% 15.0% 9.9% 4.7% 9.1% 11.2% 5.1% 1.1% 16.6% 10.7% 9.1% 7.7% 5.9% 8.3% 6.2% 9.2% 14.8% 4.9% 16.6% 11 25 4 11 38 34 49 15 51 13 16 50 8 43 29 38 31 14 16 22 45 48 32 40 10 28 5 36 9 29 46 3 44 5 20 42 22 18 37 46 1 19 22 27 34 26 33 21 7 40 1 Mobile Homes: 1980 Percent of all units 5.3% 11 45 8 23 2 26 48 44 50 1 7 51 33 13 15 31 30 14 17 35 37 46 6 28 24 19 34 38 32 43 40 29 10 4 42 9 25 21 5 49 12 41 18 3 39 47 20 16 22 27 36 8.5% 10.4% 13.3% 8.5% 4.2% 5.8% 0.8% 8.8% 0.1% 10.5% 7.8% 0.1% 11.6% 2.7% 5.4% 4.1% 5.4% 8.2% 7.1% 7.4% 1.9% 0.7% 4.7% 4.1% 8.3% 5.3% 13.0% 4.7% 12.8% 5.9% 0.9% 12.5% 2.0% 10.3% 8.9% 3.6% 5.9% 8.4% 3.8% 0.7% 10.7% 8.4% 6.3% 5.4% 5.1% 6.8% 4.9% 6.6% 10.5% 3.7% 18.1% 14 10 2 14 37 28 47 13 50 8 20 50 6 43 29 38 29 19 22 21 45 48 35 38 18 32 3 35 4 26 46 5 44 11 12 42 26 16 40 48 7 16 25 29 33 23 34 24 8 41 1 1980–90 Percent Change 57.1% 75.4% 19.6% 68.9% 70.6% 41.5% 26.0% 27.5% 66.1% –78.9% 66.5% 87.9% 70.1% 30.4% 28.7% 37.6% 22.2% 37.1% 61.5% 75.3% 43.2% 37.6% 55.6% 46.8% 36.6% 75.3% 54.0% 26.7% 24.5% 61.8% 51.1% 41.6% 62.3% 42.4% 80.6% 18.8% 39.2% 73.9% 46.4% 42.8% 75.4% 91.2% 34.9% 67.2% 80.5% 41.4% 48.0% 56.3% 69.2% 47.6% 45.4% –1.1%
Number United States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Regions Northeast Midwest South West 629,134 1,329,886 3,775,761 1,589,373 7,324,154 217,784 20,261 250,234 129,849 556,411 87,785 11,722 34,726 79 762,227 297,741 313 56,625 149,244 154,355 56,828 70,593 182,110 193,813 53,153 41,820 24,116 246,243 90,546 132,655 162,007 54,046 36,762 70,551 34,618 33,656 102,947 192,733 421,464 27,415 203,842 127,544 133,721 251,864 4,726 235,863 31,346 183,998 542,656 35,245 22,546 155,429 187,508 116,003 100,705 33,726
Rank
Rank
Number 4,663,457 124,158 16,939 148,132 76,132 393,240 69,661 9,192 20,907 375 457,698 158,492 184 43,409 116,005 112,172 46,521 51,480 112,757 110,546 37,111 30,399 15,497 167,749 66,265 75,656 105,206 42,665 29,519 43,601 22,906 23,766 63,420 135,300 233,345 23,071 146,412 73,345 91,366 176,422 2,694 123,363 23,240 110,061 300,679 24,924 15,231 99,441 110,833 78,612 69,243 34,115
Rank
Rank
4 3 1 2
3.0% 5.4% 10.5% 7.6%
4 3 1 2
438,119 956,883 2,185,966 1,082,489
4 3 1 2
2.3% 4.2% 7.4% 6.3%
4 3 1 2
43.6% 39.0% 72.7% 46.8%
In 1990, 3 States — Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina — made the top 10 in both number and percent of all units. On the other end of the spectrum, 6 others — Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island — were ranked in the bottom ten in both categories.
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
STATISTICAL BRIEF
May 1994 were $457 for mortgaged mo bile home own ers and $189 for those with out a mortgage. Owners of specified units paid more $736 and $209, respectively. The difference in owner's median home values was even more dramatic $18,300 for mobile homes, $77,900 for specified units. Mobile homes have younger householders. Mobile home householders were more likely than all household ers to be under 35 years of age (33 percent compared with 27 percent). Why? Younger house holders usually have lower in comes and, as mentioned earli er, mobile homes are generally more affordable than other types of housing. It appears many very young homeowners (i.e., those under age 25) use mobile homes as starter homes nearly one third of owners this age, but just 8 percent of owners in all age groups lived in mobile homes. Mobile home households have lower than average incomes. Mobile home households had a 1989 median income of $19,925; the corresponding figure for all households was $29,642. But due to their lower home values and owner costs, mobile home owners paid about the same median percentage of their in come for housing as owners of specified units (18 percent).
AK
In 19 States, at Least One Home in Ten is a Mobile Home
Percent of all housing units that are mobile homes, by State: 1990
Midwest
WA MT OR ID NV CA UT CO KS MO KY AZ NM OK TN AR MS TX LA AL GA ND SD WY NE IA IL IN
Northeast
VT NH ME MA RI CT NJ DE MD DC
MN WI NY MI OH PA
West
WV
VA NC
SC
HI
10% or more 5% to 9.9% Below 5%
South
FL
standing comes despite the fact its count of mobile homes re mained basically unchanged be tween 1980 and 1990. Most of these 19 States had something else in common too all but Delaware and Ne vada had a 1989 median house hold income below the national median. More on income later. Mobile homes are the fastest growing type of housing. As mentioned earlier, the number of mobile homes climbed an astounding 57 per cent during the 1980's; in con trast, one family houses and units in multiunit structures saw their numbers grow just 13 per cent and 11 percent, respective ly, over the same period. Regionally, the South experi enced the greatest growth in the number of mobile homes (73 percent). It's not surprising, then, that the four States with the most explosive growth South Carolina (91 percent), Georgia (88 percent), North
Carolina (81 percent), and Texas (81 percent) were located there. (These growth rates ex clude the 3 States with fewer than 10,000 mobile homes.) Mobile homes have a very high homeownership rate. Slightly more than 80 percent of mobile home householders owned their home in 1990; only 64 percent of all householders were owners. Most of these mo bile home owners owned their home free and clear (53 per cent). The same was true for only 35 percent of owners of specified units (single family homes on a property of less than 10 acres that do not have a business or commercial estab lishment on their property). Mobile homes are more affordable than one family houses. Selected monthly owner costs include mortgage payments, real estate taxes, property insur ance, utilities and fuels, and mo bile home site rent and license fees. These median costs
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS Incidentally, mobile home residents saw their income slip further below average during the 1980's (see graph below). While median income (1989 dollars) rose 6 percent for all households, it fell slightly for mobile home households during the period.
STATISTICAL BRIEF Mobile homes contain fewer rooms and fewer people. Mobile homes had a median of 4.3 rooms in 1990; the me dian for all units was 5.2. Not only were mobile homes smaller, they contained fewer people. The average mobile home household had 2.46 people,
May 1994 lower than the average of 2.63 in all households. The respective 1980 figures were higher 2.64 and 2.75. Mobile homes are often used as recreational housing. About 600,000 mobile homes (8 percent) were reported as being vacant for seasonal, recreation al, or occasional use. Mobile homes comprised nearly 20 per cent of vacant units of this type. Mobile homes are newer. As the graph to the left shows, mobile homes were nearly twice as likely as all housing units to have been built since 1980 (37 percent compared with 21 percent). And more than 3 in every 4 mobile homes had been built since 1970; the corresponding figure for all units was 42 percent. More information:
More Than 3 in Every 4 Mobile Homes Had Been Built Since 1970
Percent of all units, by year built
All housing units Mobile homes
41% 37%
22% 18% 15% 9% 2% 1939 or earlier 4% 1% 1940 to 1949 1950 to 1959 1960 to 1969 1970 to 1979 16% 14%
21%
1980 to March 1990
Note: Figures do not add to 100 due to rounding.
Income of Mobile Home Residents Slips Further Below Average
Median household income: 1979 and 1989 (Constant 1989 dollars)
All households Mobile home households
Detailed data on mobile homes and their occupants (by State and metropolitan area) are available from Subject Summary Tape File 10 (Mobile Homes). SSTF 10 now comes on computer tape. It will soon be available on CD ROM. Call Cus tomer Services (301 763 4100) for more information on 1990 census products. Contacts: Mobile Homes Robert Bonnette 301 763 8553
$28,065
$29,642
$20,741
$19,925
Statistical Briefs Robert Bernstein 301 763 1584 This Brief is one of a series that presents information of current interest. It examines data from the 1990 Census and previous censuses. A com plete description of statistical quality and limitations is included in the SSTF 10 technical documentation.
1979
1989