What does this measure?

The age of the housing stock expressed as a percentage of total housing units built in each decade.

Why is this important?

The age of housing stock is an indicator of the type and quality of homes, but it should not be interpreted as "good" or "bad." Well-maintained older homes are an important part of our local history and help preserve historic character, but older houses also tend to have more problems. Older homes often contain environmental hazards such as asbestos and lead-based paint. The age of housing stock is also a rough proxy for new construction and growth in a community.

How is the Greater Capital Region performing?

One-third of the homes in the Greater Capital Region were constructed before 1940, on par with the state (34%), but much higher than the nation (15%). While the region has a higher proportion of housing stock built since 1970 than the state (39% to 28%), it is well below the national level of 56%. Saratoga (25%) and Schoharie (17%) counties have the greatest proportion of houses built since 1990, while Schenectady has the greatest percentage of older homes in the area with 77% built before 1970.

Notes about the data

Total housing units include both occupied and vacant units. Figures are from the 2005-2007 Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined three years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.