1. Housing, Infrastructure, and Land Use Data
Prepared for the
Northwest Hills Council of Governments
By the Connecticut Economic Resource Center
2016 *FINAL*

2. Housing Units by Vacancy and Tenure
The total number of housing units in the NHCOG region has increased by over 11% from , which is 3.8 percentage points more than housing increased statewide
All towns in the region had an increase in housing during this time period
In 2014, 83% of housing units in the region were occupied (versus vacant), lower than the state average of 91%
Salisbury had the lowest occupancy rate (60.5%), while Burlington had the highest (95.5%)
14 towns had occupancy rates lower than the regional rate
Renters represented 32.7% of occupied units in the state but only 23.6% of occupied units in the region
Winchester (39.4%), Kent (35.6%), and Torrington (32.8%) had renter-occupation rates higher than the state, while Canaan (29.9%), Norfolk (27.4%), and Salisbury (26.8%) had rates between the state and the region
Harwinton had the highest rate of owner-occupied properties in the region

3. Housing Units by Vacancy (2014) By State, Region, and Town
Source: American Community Survey

4. Housing Units by Tenure (2014) By State, Region, and Town
Source: American Community Survey

5. Households by Size
The number of households in the region increased 5% from
9 towns had a smaller than 5% increase in households during this time, including four towns that saw a decrease (Kent, North Canaan, Norfolk, Salisbury)
Single resident households represented 28% of households
Single resident households were the largest proportion of town households in Sharon (36.6%) and the smallest proportion of town households in Hartland (13.1%)

6. Households by Size (2014) By Town
Source: American Community Survey

7. New Housing Permits
The total number of annual housing permits issued for the region decreased from 431 permits in to 111 permits in 2014, a 74% drop
The decrease in number of permits began before the Great Recession and the housing crisis
The largest one year drop in permits occurred from
All towns in the region had an overall decrease in permits from , ranging from a drop of 2 permits in 4 towns (Canaan, Cornwall, Norfolk, and Washington) to a decrease of 64 permits in Torrington
The largest percentage decrease was in North Canaan, which did not have any permits issued in either 2013 or 2014

8. New Housing Permits (2014) By Region
Source: CT DECD

9. Households That Spent More Than 30% of Income on Housing
In 2014, 36.5% of the region’s households (in both owner- and renter-occupied units) spent more than 30% of income on housing costs
This is a slight decrease from 2010, when 37.8% of households spent more than 30% of income on housing
39% of state residents spent more than 30% of their income on housing in 2014, consistent with 2010, while 35% of U.S. households spent more than 30% of their income on rent in 2014, an increase from 2010
Only in three towns did fewer that 33% of households spend more than 30% of income on housing (Barkhamsted, 29%; Harwinton, 27%, and Hartland, 23%)
Kent and Washington had the highest percentage (44%) of households spending more than 30% of income on housing
A larger share of renters paid more than 30% of their income on rent in the region in 2014 than owners did, similar to the pattern in the state and nation
However, the difference was only 8.6 percentage points in the region compared to 16.3 and 20.9 percentage point differences in the state and nation, respectively

10. Households That Spent More Than 30% of Income on Housing (2014) By Town
Source: American Community Survey

11. Change in Housing Costs
Real monthly median housing costs have slightly decreased in the state, from $1,468 in 2009 to $1,410 in 2014, in inflation-adjusted dollars
During this time, the variation in monthly median housing costs by town has decreased – the difference in cost between the town with the most and least expensive housing dropped from $1,420 in 2009 to $828 in 2014
15 towns had a decrease in monthly median housing costs during this period
In 2014, Winchester had the least expensive average monthly housing costs ($1,087) and Burlington had the highest ($1,915)

12. Change in Housing Costs By Town
Source: American Community Survey

13. Median Home Sales Price
Median home sale price for single family homes decreased by $15,000 (-6%) in the state from
Three towns (Colebrook, Morris, and Warren) had an increase in median single family home sales price
New Hartford had an increase in median home sales price comparing 2009 to 2012 (and no homes reported sold in 2013)
The biggest decrease in sales price was in Roxbury, which saw median price decrease by $347,000

14. Median Home Sales Price By Town
Source: CT OPM

15. Developed and Undeveloped Land
8.1% of the region’s land was developed in 2006, an increase from 7.8% in 1995
The state’s developed land increased from 17.8% to 19.0% during that time
Developed land represented more than 10% of total land in three towns: Burlington (11.3%), Winchester (11.9%), and Torrington (22.6%)
Burlington and Torrington also had the greatest percentage point increase in developed land from

16. Developed and Undeveloped Land By Town
Source: UCONN CLEAR

17. Conserved Land
Approximately 19% of region has been identified as conserved within towns’ Plans of Conservation and Development (POCD) or other planning documents

18. Conserved Land By Town
Note: See Excel spreadsheet for definition of “conserved,” relevant years, and sources of data by town.

19. Aging Population Supports
27% of the region’s population aged 65 or older lives alone, similar to the share of the state population of this age group living alone (28.2%)
Slightly more than half of the region’s and the state’s 65+ population lives with a spouse, while the remainder live with a parent, with other relatives, or with nonfamily
Warren had the greatest percentage of 65+ living with spouses (78.6%), while Canaan had the smallest (47.8%)
More than 50% of householders aged 65+ in 5 towns (Canaan, Colebrook, Kent, Roxbury, and Salisbury) had gross rent that was more than 35% of their income
The most prevalent type of disability in the region is ambulatory difficulties, which are experienced by more than 35% of the region’s 65+ population and 41% of the state’s 65+ population

20. Living Arrangements for Population Over Age 65 (2014) By State, Region, and Town
Source: American Community Survey

21. Number of Households with Gross Rent More Than 35% of Income (2014) By Town
Source: American Community Survey

22. Population with a Disability (2014) By Town
Source: American Community Survey

23. Single- versus Multi-Family Housing
Most households in the region (78.4%) occupy single-family homes
This is higher than the percentage of households in single-family homes in the state (64.6%)
Only Torrington and Winchester have fewer than 75% of households in single-family homes

24. Single- versus Multi-Family Housing (2014) By State, Region, and Town
Source: American Community Survey