The median value of owner-occupied housing units in Archuleta County increased from $359,700 in 2014-2018 to $451,400 in 2019-2023, according to newly released American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
That matches a trend seen nationally, according to the Census Bureau, with home values increasing 21.7 percent between the 2014-2018 ACS five-year estimates and the 2019-2023 ACS five-year estimates, going from a median of $249,400 to $303,400 (estimates from 2014-2018 are adjusted for inflation).
The counties with some of the largest dollar amount increases were Pitkin County, Colo. ($758,800 to $1,131,200); Teton County, Wyo. ($1,007,200 to $1,371,900); Dukes County, Mass. ($812,400 to $1,104,100); San Mateo ($1,210,100 to $1,494,500) and Santa Clara ($1,111,400 to $1,382,800) counties in California; and Summit County, Utah ($729,000 to $1,000,400).
Archuleta County also aligned with the national trend of an increase in homeownership.
The total number of housing units in the county increased from 9,228 in the 2014-2018 estimates to 9,710 in the 2019-2023 estimates.
Owner-occupied housing units increased from 74.6 percent in 2014-2018 to 77.5 percent in 2019-2023, while renter-occupied units decreased from 25.4 percent to 22.5 percent.
The 2019-2023 ACS five-year estimates show that more people owned homes than rented in 3,070 of the nation’s 3,144 counties and county equivalents between 2019 and 2023.
The number of occupied housing units in Archuleta County decreased from 61.4 percent to 60.8 percent in the 2019-2023 estimates. Vacant housing units increased from 38.6 percent to 39.2 percent. The rental vacancy rate decreased from 16.6 percent to 14.1 percent.
The percentage of housing units with a mortgage decreased from 56.4 percent to 53.6 percent, while units without a mortgage increased from 43.6 percent to 46.4 percent.
The number of owner-occupied units without a mortgage also increased nationally, with the Census Bureau stating the figure increased between the two five-year periods by 3.9 million units, from 36.9 percent of owned homes in the 2014-2018 ACS estimates to 38.8 percent in the 2019-2023 ACS estimates.
“The increase in the number of owned homes without a mortgage could partially explain why the median amount of income homeowners spent toward housing costs decreased from 18.3 percent to 17.5 percent,” said Caroline Short, a survey statistician in the Census Bureau’s Housing Statistics Branch. “Housing data also showed that 61.2 percent of owned homes had a mortgage. Moreover, the median ratio of income to housing costs for mortgaged homes decreased slightly from 21.6 percent to 20.9 percent. But the actual median dollar amount of monthly housing cost rose slightly from $1,897 to $1,902.”
For Archuleta County, the median selected monthly owner costs for a housing unit with a mortgage increased from $1,636 to $1,883. The median selected monthly owner costs for a housing unit went from $514 to $549.
The gross median rent in Archuleta County increased from $1,137 to $1,409.
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities) increased nationally by about $100, from $1,246 to $1,348 per month. Many of the counties with the highest median gross rents were either in California (such as San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin and San Francisco counties), Virginia (such as Arlington, Loudon and Fairfax counties) or New York (such as Nassau, Suffolk and New York counties).
“The amount of income that goes toward housing costs has differed between renters and owners, with renters traditionally paying more of their income toward housing,” the Census Bureau notes.
That was also true in Archuleta County, with 42 percent of renters paying 35 percent or more of their household income toward gross rent and 30.8 percent of homeowners with a mortgage paying 35 percent or more of their household income toward owner costs. Both figures increased from the 2014-2018 estimates.
Households spending more than 30 percent of their income toward housing costs are considered “cost-burdened” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Income and poverty
The U.S. median household income for the 2019-2023 ACS five-year period was $78,538. Median household income in the United States, adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars, increased 7 percent between the 2014-2018 and 2019-2023 periods.
In Archuleta County, the median household income increased from $61,781 in the 2014-2018 estimates to $76,524 in the 2019-2023 estimates.
Most counties, the Census Bureau notes, had a median household income lower than the national median (74.1 percent), while 13.2 percent had a median household income higher than the U.S. median.
The mean, or average, household income in Archuleta County increased from $84,795 to $97,641.
The per capita income for the county rose from $37,779 in the 2014-2018 estimate to $43,049 in the 2019-2023 estimate.
The newer five-year estimate notes that the percentage of families whose income in the past 12 months was below the poverty level was 4.8 percent, down from 7.4 percent in the previous five-year estimate. The percentage for all people in the county dropped from 10.7 percent to 8.3 percent.
The overall U.S. poverty rate for the 2019-2023 period was 12.4 percent, down from 14.1 percent in 2014-2018. Poverty rates decreased in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico compared to 2014-2018.
In 2019-2023, child poverty rates decreased in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico compared to 2014-2018. For those age 65 and older, poverty rates increased in 42 states and decreased in one state (Idaho) compared to 2014-2018.
Poverty rates for those 65 and older in Archuleta County increased from 5.2 percent to 9.0 percent.
The data further shows a drop from 17.3 percent to 1.0 percent for “Related children of the householder under 5 years.”
Population
Archuleta County’s population in the 2019-2023 estimates is 13,730, up from 12,908 in the previous estimates.
The Census Bureau’s population estimate as of July 2023 is 14,189.
Archuleta County’s median age increased from 50.6 to 52.2 between the two ACS estimates.
On Dec. 30, 2024, the Census Bureau estimated the U.S. population would reach 341,145,670 at midnight EST, on Jan. 1, 2025.
That represents an increase of 2,640,171 (0.78 percent) from Jan. 1, 2024, and 9,696,329 (2.93 percent) from Census Day (April 1) 2020.
In January 2025, the United States is expected to experience one birth every 9.0 seconds and one death every 9.4 seconds. Meanwhile, net international migration is expected to add one person to the U.S. population every 23.2 seconds. The combination of births, deaths and net international migration increases the U.S. population by one person every 21.2 seconds.
The projected world population on Jan. 1, 2025, was 8,092,034,511, an increase of 71,178,087 (0.89 percent) from New Year’s Day 2024. During January 2025, 4.2 births and 2.0 deaths are expected worldwide every second.
randi@pagosasun.com
