Census: In California, More Empty Houses, More Families "Doubling Up"
By Nina Martin
New America Media
The number of empty houses and rental units in California has jumped over the past decade, according to new Census data released Thursday—another sign of how the Great Recession and housing bust have continued to batter the nation’s largest state.
Some 8.1 percent of all housing units in the state were vacant in 2010, up 55 percent from 2000.
Meanwhile, the number of extended-family households jumped by 27 percent and average household size edged up slightly—an indication that many families are sharing their homes in part because young adults and elders can’t afford to live on their own.
While the American dream of homeownership is associated with California perhaps more than any other part of the country, the latest Census data show another reality. As demographers crunch the numbers over the next few days, the portrait that emerges of a state in crisis will be telling, says Hans Johnson, an expert in population and migration issues at the Public Policy Institute of California.
