Table 2.  Rental and Homeowner Vacancy Rates, by Area:  Fourth Quarter 2003 and 2004







                                    Rental vacancy rates





                          Fourth         Fourth                 90-Percent

Area                      quarter        quarter         Confidence Interval<font size="-1">(+/-)</font><sup>a</sup>

                           2003           2004          of 2004 rate  of difference





United States..........        10.2         10.0          0.3          0.4



  Inside MAs...........        10.1         10.1          0.3          0.5

    In central cities..        10.4         10.4          0.5          0.6

    Not in central cities

    (suburbs)..........         9.7          9.8          0.5          0.7

  Outside MAs..........        10.6          9.6          0.8          1.1



 Northeast.............         6.9          6.8          0.6          0.8

 Midwest...............        11.3         12.4          0.7          1.0

 South.................        12.9         12.5          0.6          0.8

 West..................         8.0          7.2          0.5          0.7







                                    Homeowner vacancy rates

                          Fourth         Fourth                  90-Percent

Area                      quarter        quarter        Confidence Interval<font size="-1">(+/-)</font><sup>a</sup>

                           2003           2004        of 2004 rate  of difference



United States..........         1.8          1.8          0.1          0.1



  Inside MAs...........         1.7          1.7          0.1          0.1

    In central cities..         2.0          2.3          0.2          0.3

    Not in central cities

    (suburbs)..........         1.6          1.5          0.1          0.1

  Outside MAs..........         2.1          2.1          0.2          0.3



 Northeast.............         1.1          1.2          0.2          0.2

 Midwest...............         1.7          2.2          0.2          0.2

 South.................         2.2          2.0          0.1          0.2

 West..................         1.6          1.5          0.2          0.2

    a\A 90-percent confidence interval is a measure of an estimate's reliability.  

	The larger the confidence interval is, in relation to the size of the estimate, 

	the less reliable the estimate.