More Renters in Monroe County

The number of renters is creeping up in Monroe County.

Census figures show a decline in the rate of home ownership:

• 2008: 68 percent
• 2009: 67 percent
• 2010: 66 percent
• 2011: 64 percent

In 2011, the largest category of mortgages, encompassing 37 percent of households, cost between $1,000 and $1,499 a month. One out of five homeowners has a mortgage that costs more than 35 percent of their income.

One-third of renters pay between $750 and $999 a month. The rate of renters paying more than 35% of their income for rent has gone up:

• 2009: 43 percent
• 2010: 47 percent
• 2011: 51 percent

That indicates many renters are struggling to pay the bills.

Links of the Day:

- Wegmans is acquiring two houses adjacent to its Mt. Read store. Many think it will be a liquor store.

- MCC is going to be hard-pressed to leave a renovated Sibley Building with a brand new bus station built out back.

- An ongoing panhandler fight over a Syracuse corner may have led to the killing of a homeless Syracuse woman.

- The Thruway hot dog wars have begun. Hofmann’s out of Syracuse is seeking to go national, but Buffalo insists it will remain loyal to Sahlen’s. Not mentioned: Zweigle’s.