Housing Starts and Vacant Units

Latest Indicators: Jobless Claims Dip; Trade Gap Grows; Housing Starts Up
What is this? The number of people filing first-time claims for jobless benefits decreased by 3,000 last week, to 420,000, the Employment and Training Administration says. Bloomberg News says that signals "a labor market that is on the mend" in part because the slight decline was unexpected and in part because claims have now dipped in three of the past four weeks. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Economic Analysis says the nation's Deficit "on trade in goods and services" widened to $127.2 billion in t...

Latest Indicators: Jobless Claims Dip; Trade Gap Grows; Housing Starts Up
What is this? The number of people filing first-time claims for jobless benefits decreased by 3,000 last week, to 420,000, the Employment and Training Administration says. Bloomberg News says that signals "a labor market that is on the mend" in part because the slight decline was unexpected and in part because claims have now dipped in three of the past four weeks. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Economic Analysis says the nation's Deficit "on trade in goods and services" widened to $127.2 billion in t...

Housing Starts and New Permits Remain Weak in November
As the Housing Market continues to sputter, new construction has been very slow. Although Housing Starts rose 3.9% in November to 555,000, they didn't nearly overcome the 13.0% decline experienced over the two months prior. The Census Bureau also reports that new permits, which are more of a leading indicator, fell by 4.0% last month. The new home construction market remains relatively lifeless. While it might seem that there could be reason to hope for a new trend here, given the small rise in...

Housing starts up, permits off in November
Published: Dec. 16, 2010 at 2:38 PM Former President Jimmy Carter works on a house as part of the Habitat for Humanity Carter Work Project in Northeast Washington, D.C., on October 4, 2010. Carter and his wife Rosalynn are helping to build six homes and rehabilitate six others in the Ivy City neighborhood. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- New U.S. home construction rose in November compared to October but permits issued fell sharply, the Commerce Department said Thursday. At ...

Housing starts rise in November, but permits drop
WASHINGTON | Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:51am EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing Starts rose slightly more than expected in November, but a surprise drop in permits for future home construction to a 1-1/2 year low indicated continued weakness in the Housing Market even as the Economic Recovery gains traction. The Commerce Department said on Thursday housing starts rose 3.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 555,000 units. October's starts were revised up to a 534,000-unit pace from the pr...

Housing starts edge higher
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- New home construction is not dead, just resting comfortably. The number of new private home starts rose in November to a seasonably adjusted annualized rate of 555,000, according to a Commerce Department report. That was 3.9% above revised October figures but 5.8% lower than a year ago. Email Print Comment The numbers were higher than expected. A consensus of housing industry experts surveyed by Briefing.com had predicted 545,000 starts for the month. New construction...

Housing Starts Growth Beats Expectations in November
In the beleaguered U.S. housing sector, even modest good news -- such as November's unexpected 3.9% rise in Housing Starts to a 555,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate -- represents a victory. Adding a bit to that small win, October's total also was revised modestly higher to 534,000 from the initially estimated 519,000 tally. In November, starts of single-family homes totaled a 465,000 rate, up 6.9% from October's revised 435,000 rate. Economists survey by Bloomberg had expected November hou...

Upbeat data buoys growth view; housing lags
By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON | Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:06pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy showed new signs the recovery was gaining traction, with data on Thursday that new claims for jobless aid fell last week and factory activity in the Mid-Atlantic region grew at its quickest pace in more than 5-1/2 years this month. The reports added to growing evidence of a substantial pick-up in economic growth during the Fourth Quarter, even though housing data pointed to continued stress in t...

Markets mixed on flat data
Published: Dec. 17, 2010 at 11:03 AM NEW YORK, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Markets on Wall Street opened mixed Friday morning after a week of flat and discouraging economic data. The Conference Board said Friday U.S. leading indicators rose 1.1 percent in November, "a mild pickup after a slow winter," Economist Ken Goldstein said. On Thursday, the Commerce Department said Housing Starts rose in November compared to October, but housing permits issued, indicating future construction starts, fell 4 percent. ...

Why the Census may be bad news for Missouri Democrats
WASHINGTON — The Census will make clear on Tuesday what has been speculated about in Missouri political circles for a while: The state could lose a Congressional Seat effective the 2012 Elections. Democrats could be most at risk. Going into the 2011 Congress, they will hold only three seats in the nine-member House delegation because the party just lost Rep. Ike Skelton's district in the November Midterm Elections. But they might have trouble keeping that many. It depends on how the Rep...

Serf And Turf
Don't like the way wealth is distributed? Then you can join congressional Democrats and grump about it, or you can get some wealth for yourself. Ahh, if only that were true. The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that real median household income in the United States in 2009 was $49,777, not statistically different from the 2008 median. The nation's official Poverty rate in 2009 was 14.3 percent, up from 13.2 percent in 2008 — the second statistically significant annual increase in the po...

More D.C. area commuters leaving the driving to others, census data show
Network News X Profile View More Activity READ MORE Traffic & Roads See the latest alerts, a construction calendar, traffic cams and more to help you get around Washington. >> Dr. Gridlock is here to help >> Get transit tips | Traffic By the numbers DataPost Looking for research help, deeper understanding of the day's news, or do you just like numbers? Here's are some of the most interesting, searchable databases developed by The Washington Post and other local and national organizations ...

Washington area is wealthiest and most educated region in the nation, census data show
The Washington area's affluence and education levels make it the wealthiest and most educated region in the nation, according to Census data released Tuesday that reflect five years of relative prosperity compared with the rest of the country. This Story More D.C. area commuters leaving the driving to others, Census data show Commuters data Poll: Have you changed your commute? Washington area is wealthiest and most educated region in the nation, Census data show U.S. Census Bureau: American C...

Black segregation falls, but Latino and Asian separation up
California's relatively small and slow-growing black population is experiencing far less residential segregation that it did in years past, but its rapidly growing Latino and Asian American populations are experiencing more, a new nationwide study of housing patterns indicates. The study, "Racial and Ethnic Separation in the Neighborhoods: Progress at a Standstill," was written by John R. Logan of Brown University and Brian J. Stults of Florida State University, was based on data from decennia...

Americas 10 Poorest Counties in Appalachia, Deep South or on Indian Reservations
Friday, December 17, 2010 By Dan Joseph (CNSNews.com) - America’s 10 poorest counties, both in terms of the percentage of those living below the Poverty level and median household income, lie either on Indian Reservations, are in the Deep South or are found in the Coal Mining areas of eastern Kentucky.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Poverty and Income Estimates for 2009, the 10 U.S. counties with the highest percentages of their population living in Poverty are: 1. Z

Black segregation in US drops to lowest in century (AP)
WASHINGTON – America's neighborhoods took large strides toward racial integration in the last decade as blacks and whites chose to live near each other at the highest levels in a century. Still, segregation in many parts of the U.S. persisted, with Hispanics in particular turning away from whites. A broad range of 2009 Census data released Tuesday also found a mixed economic picture, with the Poverty rate swinging wildly among counties from 4 percent to more than 40 percent as the nation...

Mass. expected to lose House seat through Census
BOSTON — Massachusetts is expected to lose a Congressional Seat when the new Census figures are released. The U.S. Census Bureau will release the results of its once-a-decade count at 11 a.m. Tuesday, and all signs are toward a population shift from the North to the South — and a shift in U.S. House seats along with it. Massachusetts currently has 10 House seats. If, as expected, it loses one on Tuesday, state lawmakers will have to decide how to get rid of one congressman. Populati...

Mass. expected to lose House seat through Census
BOSTON — Massachusetts is expected to lose a Congressional Seat when the new Census figures are released. The U.S. Census Bureau will release the results of its once-a-decade count at 11 a.m. Tuesday, and all signs are toward a population shift from the North to the South — and a shift in U.S. House seats along with it. Massachusetts currently has 10 House seats. If, as expected, it loses one on Tuesday, state lawmakers will have to decide how to get rid of one congressman. Populati...

Census: Rich Areas Richer, Poor Get Poorer
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, at least judging by the most extreme neighborhoods for median household income in the latest Census Bureau data. More Video ...

Census Bureau Data: Richest Counties Get Richer, Poorest Get Poorer
Source: ABC News Kentucky Has County With Lowest Median Household Income; Richest 3 in Virginia The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, at least judging by the most extreme neighborhoods for median household income in the latest Census Bureau data. The Census' American Community Survey, released this week, provides detailed neighborhood data, including languages spoken in a home, commute time and income levels. The poorest county, Owsley County, Ky., had the lowest median household income o...

Family Report Shows Brokenness in U.S. Homes
Only 45 percent of American teenagers have spent their childhood with both parents legally married to one another, according to a recent report. The Family Research Council's "U.S. Index of Belonging and Rejection" also found that 55 percent of U.S. teenagers live in families where their biological parents have rejected each other. Read the entire report here . "We have undertaken this study because, bad though it may be, the out-of-wedlock Birth Rate is not the key measure of family intactne...

Supply does not create demand
The present state of Spain's Real Estate market should suffice to explode that theory: A better known Real Estate debacle is a sprawling development in Seseña, south of Madrid, one of Spain’s “ghost towns.” It sits in a desert surrounded by empty lots. Twelve whole blocks of brick apartment buildings, about 2,000 apartments, are empty; the rest, only partly occupied. Most of the ground floor commercial space is bricked up. The Boom and Bust of Spain’s property sector is astoni

Why Unemployment Will Remain High For Years (Parts I and II)
.) There are 15.1 million workers unemployed in America (U-1). Another 9 million are working temp for economic reasons, and another 2.5 million are marginally attached or discouraged from the work force (U-6). That is about 26.6 million people in trouble. We can argue about the "true" number of unemployed but for the purpose of this article, the fact that it is high under any measure is sufficient. The labor participation rate, which shows what percentage of the Workforce is engaged in employmen...

Census data shows were Brooklyn has been, but where is it headed?
The recent Census report shows what Brooklynites already know about their neighborhood's development over the last decade, that the city is getting whiter and more expensive. The borough has options going forward, which will be decided upon along class lines. The released data tracks the movement of black and latino populations from historically ethnic Williamsburg, Propect Heights, and Bushwick among others. This is the reversal of the notorious "white flight" of earlier decades during which af...

Home construction up after 2 months of declines
(12-16) 06:31 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Home construction nudged up in November after two months of declines. Builders broke ground last month on a seasonally adjusted 555,000 units, a 3.9 percent rise from October, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Even with the gain, Housing Starts are just 16 percent above the 477,000 unit pace from April 2009 — the lowest point on records dating back to 1959. And they are down 76 percent from their peak in January 2006, and 45 percent below th...