The current rate, 64.1%, is a .2% drop from a year ago.

The national homeownership rate fell slightly in the second quarter to 64.1 percent, the Census Bureau reported. The report also said national vacancy rates in the second quarter were 6.8 percent for rental housing (unchanged from the first quarter) and 1.3 percent for homeowner housing, an 0.1 percent drop from the first quarter and an 0.2 percent drop from a year ago. "The data from the second quarter Housing Vacancy Survey continue to show a lack of housing supply across the country," said Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni. "The homeowner vacancy rate, at 1.3 percent, is at its lowest level since 1981. The rental vacancy rate (at 6.8 percent) also remains quite low, but has leveled out over the past few quarters." Fratantoni said given this lack of housing inventory, household formation remains constrained, with nearly 1.2 million new households formed over the past year, and the majority of those new households choosing to rent. "As a result, the homeownership rate has dropped a bit," he said. "Looking ahead, we expect that underlying housing demand will remain strong, given that the largest cohort of millennials are now in their mid-20s." Ralph McLaughlin, Deputy Chief Economist with CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., said despite the dip in the homeownership rate, total household growth remains strong, topping 1% for seven consecutive quarters. 

Source: Mortgage Bankers Association