Changes in the Number of Housing Units in the Hudson Valley
Sunday, September 26th, 2021
One of the few data points currently available from the 2020 census is the number of housing units. The census definition of a housing unit is as follows:
A house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building and which have direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall.
The map below shows the percent change in housing units in the Hudson Valley from 2010 to 2020 by town and city. It’s important to note that an increase of a housing unit does not necessarily mean new construction. A new housing unit could be the result of a single family home being divided into two separate living quarters, or a previously uninhabitable building being rehabbed for occupancy. Similarly, a loss of a housing unit does not necessarily mean that a building was destroyed. Aside from demolition, a house that was previously split up into multiple living quarters reverting back to a single family home would result in a loss of a housing unit or housing units.
One of the most apparent takeaways from the above map is that communities closer to the Hudson River generally saw an increase in housing units while communities farther from the river were more likely to have lost housing units. Other findings of note include:
- Every city in the region experienced an increase in housing units, and often the surrounding towns saw an increase in units. For example: The City of Middletown and the Town of Wallkill, the City of Hudson and the Town of Greenport, and the City of Kingston and the Town of Ulster.
- During the time period of 2010 to 2020, the 1.5 sq mi Town of Palm Tree was created from the existing boundary of the Village of Kiryas Joel within the Town of Monroe in Orange County. Since 2010, the number of housing units in the Town of Palm Tree increased by 2,071, representing a 50% increase. This is by far the largest percent increase in housing units in the region.
- After Palm Tree, the greatest percent increase in housing units (+16%) occurred in the Town of Prattsville in the northwest corner of Greene County. This large percent increase is in part due to the fact that Prattsville has a very small number of housing units overall. Prattsville added 81 housing units from 2010 to 2020, increasing the number of units from 506 to 587.
- The largest percent decrease in housing units (-13%) occurred in the Town of Hardenburgh in the northwest corner of Ulster County. Similar to Prattsvillle, Hardenburgh has a very low number of housing units overall, so any change in units results in a more dramatic percentage change.
- The four largest percent decreases in housing units occurred in the towns of Hardenburgh, Rockland, Shandaken, and Fremont. These towns neighbor each other in the northwest corner of Ulster and Sullivan County.
- The Town of Rockland experienced the greatest total decrease in housing units (-323)
- The City of Yonkers experienced the greatest total increase in housing units (+5,139)
The number of housing units is an interesting statistic, but ultimately just one metric among many that help tell the story of how housing is changing in the Hudson Valley. As more of the 2020 census data becomes available, Pattern will continue to share our analysis. If you are interested in the topic of housing, be sure to register for Pattern’s Housing Forum on October 27th.
Click here to register for the Hudson Valley Housing Forum, titled “A Housing Crisis: Finding a Place to Call Home”
