2009 Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan American Housing Survey Results

HUD recently released the 2009 Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Area Housing Survey — the most comprehensive analysis of the area's housing stock since 2004.

HUD estimates that there were 1.45 million residential housing units in the Seattle area in 2009. More than 91 percent of these homes were occupied and 7.9 percent were reported as vacant. The median monthly cost of housing in the metro area in 2009 was $1,320 — compared to the national median of $922 — placing the area at the 70th percentile in monthly housing costs nationwide. The survey also found more than 84 percent of area homes had at least two bedrooms and nearly 60 percent had three or more. In addition, nearly all homes had at least one bathroom, while more than half contained two or more.

HUD's data files are most frequently used by economists, housing analysts, and others in the research community.