A home is often a family's greatest financial asset. Owning a home is a traditional part of the American dream and a typical entry point into the middle class. Homeownership is an important factor for neighborhood stability and civic participation.

In 2013-17, 68% of housing units in the region were owner-occupied, higher than the national figure of 64% and much higher than the state figure of 54%. Monroe had the lowest rate at 64%, with the highest in Wayne and Yates, each at 77%. The rate of homeownership in the City of Rochester was dramatically lower than every county, at 37% in 2013-17. Rates also were lower, though not to the same extent as in Rochester, in the cities of Geneva (49%), Batavia (50%) and Canandaigua (56%).

Rates were mostly flat for the region and individual counties from 2000 to 2008-12 and through 2013-17. Cities were the exceptions. From 2000 to 2008-12, Canandaugia saw an increase of 5 percentage points; from 2008-12 to 2013-17, Rochester and Batavia saw declines of 4 points and 6 points, respectively. From 2000 to 2013-17, the national homeownership rate declined slightly (2 points) and the state rate was essentially flat.

Multi-year figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five 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. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.