NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The number of Americans who own homes fell in the second quarter of the year to the lowest level since 1999, said a government survey released Tuesday.
The Census Bureau said the home ownership rate fell to 66.9% in the second quarter of 2010, down half a percentage point from the previous year. The home ownership rate was 67.1% in the first quarter of the year.
In the second quarter rates were highest in the Midwest, where 70.8% of people are homeowners, and lowest in the West, where 61.4% of people own.
Rates in the South and West were lower than a year ago, while the Northeast and Midwest stayed the same.
Vacancies: The vacancy rate in non-rental units also fell in the second quarter, to 2.5%. Meanwhile, the vacancy rate in rental homes stayed steady at 10.6%.
Almost 86% of U.S. homes were occupied in the second quarter, with owner-occupied housing comprising 57.3% of all housing units. Renter-occupied homes were 28.3% of all units.
A separate report released Tuesday, the Case-Shiller index, showed home prices rose 1.3% in May compared with the previous month. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.89% | 3.88% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.21% | 3.21% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.87% | 2.88% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.96% | 3.96% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.30% | 3.29% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,801.23 | -89.23 | -0.69% |
| Nasdaq | 2,903.88 | -23.35 | -0.80% |
| S&P 500 | 1,342.64 | -9.31 | -0.69% |
| Treasuries | 1.97 | -0.08 | -3.81% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 8.07 | -0.11 | -1.34% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 19.90 | -0.10 | -0.52% |
| Ford Motor Co | 12.44 | -0.25 | -1.97% |
| General Electric Co | 18.88 | -0.26 | -1.33% |
| Microsoft Corp | 30.50 | -0.16 | -0.54% |
|
Now that the complex deal negotiations are over, many foreclosures that had been stuck in limbo will proceed. More |
Audit of the Energy Department's controversial loan program in the wake of Solyndra says the risks are slightly less than DOE predicted, largely thanks to a stronger Ford. More |
Buzzy social network Pinterest got caught in a disclosure controversy after users found affiliate links slipped into their pins. More |
One family-owned Chicago pizzeria is helping to make love connections nationwide with heart-shaped pizzas on Valentine's Day. More |
Hoping to cut their losses, banks are paying delinquent homeowners up to $35,000 in incentives to sell their homes in short sales and avoid foreclosure. More |
.
