HOMEOWNERSHIP on Guam has increased in the last 10 years, according to the Advance Report for Selected Characteristics for Guam as of April 1, 2010 released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to data in the report, owner-occupied units in 2000 accounted for 48 percent of all occupied housing units. But by 2010, owner-occupied units made up 50 percent of all occupied housing units.
In addition, the report stated: “There were nearly the same number of owner-occupied housing units as renter-occupied units in 2010.”
Total housing units accounted for during the reporting period reached 50,567. Out of that number, 42,026 are occupied, 8,541 are vacant, while 411 are categorized for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use.
Housing units, as defined by the report, “may be 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.”
Additional data stated in the report include:
- The median age increased from 27 years in 2000 to nearly 30 years in 2010.
- There were 105 males per 100 females.
- Half of the population, 15 years and over, were married while nearly 8 percent were separated or divorced
- Nearly 7 percent of the population, 16 years and over, were in the armed forces in 2010.
- Nearly 80 percent of the population, 25 years and over, were high school graduates. Twenty percent of the population held a bachelor degree in 2010.
- About half of Guam’s households reported a household income in 2009 of less than $50,000 while over 16 percent had a household income of $100,000 or more.
The report also covers pertinent island-level information on “age and sex distribution, school enrollment, educational attainment, income, marital status, employment status, and housing occupancy and tenure.”
“The release of additional data provides us with valuable information regarding the nature of our community and what we need to do to effectively manage our resources now and in the years to come,” Bureau of Statistics and Plans Director Tommy Morrison said in a media release.
Additional housing and population data for Guam and other territories can be found at the Census Bureau website. For inquiries, contact the Bureau of Statistics and Plans at 472-4201/2/3.
