Indicator HH.1.e Proportion of renter and owner occupied housing
Data Source
Applied Geographic Solutions, Inc. Spring 2007 Update: Current Year Estimates. Methodology available at: http://www.appliedgeographic.com/library.html.
Maps and tables created by San Francisco Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section using ArcGIS software. Map data is presented at the level of the census tract, which was calculated by assigning census block data to census tracts based on spatial location. The map also includes planning neighborhood names, in the vicinity of their corresponding census tracts.
Table data is presented by planning neighborhood. While planning neighborhoods are larger geographic areas than census tracts, census tracts do not always lie completely within a planning neighborhood. SFDPH used ArcGIS software and a 'centroids within' methodology to convert census blocks to geographic mean center points. We then assigned census blocks to planning neighborhoods based on the spatial location of those geographic mean center points and calculated the planning neighborhood totals for the table.
Detailed information regarding census data, geographic units of analysis, their definitions, and their boundaries can be found in the HDMT at the following links:
http://www.thehdmt.org/etc/Geographic_Units_of_Analysis.pdf
http://www.thehdmt.org/data_map_methods.php
Explanation and Limitations
These maps illustrate the proportion of owner- and renter-occupied housing units at the census tract level; the table presents data aggregated at the neighborhood level. The proportion of owner-occupied housing units was calculated by dividing the total number of owner-occupied housing units by the total number of occupied units in that neighborhood. The proportion of renter-occupied housing units was calculated by dividing the total number of renter-occupied housing units by the total number of occupied units in that neighborhood.
Housing tenure describes whether a family rents or owns its place of residence. According to the National Association of Realtors' 2006 Quarterly Report for the 4th quarter, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metropolitan area has the second highest average single family home price in the nation ($736,800) in 2006, after the nearby area of San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ($775,000). This average is more than three times greater than the national average ($222,000).
Between 1996 and 2000, the average home purchase price doubled, primarily the result of booming dot-com and housing economies in San Francisco and surrounding areas, as well as a shortage affordable housing construction. The San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing notes that despite the availability of lower rate mortgages to first-time home buyers, the high cost of housing in San Francisco makes home ownership beyond the reach of most San Franciscans.
Why is this a Community Health Indicator?
Similar to rent burdened households, households spending a high percentage of their income on a mortgage have a smaller percentage of income to spend on other necessities such as food, heating, transportation, health care, and child care and very little, if any, savings for emergency situations, children's future tuition or retirement. Although a mortgage can be a financial burden, home ownership does provide multiple benefits to its owners including increased tax benefits, collateral for financial emergencies, and opportunities for wealth creation. Home ownership is also associated with increased residential stability, and benefits homeowners by providing a setting for expression of identity and control. This catalyzes a personal investment in home maintenance, neighborhood improvement, and community cohesion.For additional information on the connections between housing and health, visit: The Case for Housing Impacts Assessment by SFDPH, Program on Health Equity and Sustainability. Accessed online on October 19, 2006: http://www.thehdmt.org/etc/004_HIAR-May2004.pdf