Labor Force Participation Housing Characteristics
REPORT SUMMARY
This report publishes the findings of the housing characteristics from the 2017 CNMI Labor Force Survey (LFS). Due to the fact that Saipan has the 90% of the total occupied housing units for the CNMI, the results for the CNMI are relatively similar to Saipan.
The target population of the 2017 LFS included the entire CNMI population and housing units. Specifically, it included all persons and occupied housing units on the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota, but did not cover the Northern Islands.
The data collection for the 2017 LFS was conducted in the Fourth Quarter, 2017; it started on September 20, 2017 and ended on December 21, 2017. Data coding began the same week the field work began. Data entry began the second week of October and continued until the last week of December 2017. Data reconciliation and cleaning took place in December 2017 through January 2018.
Building Type
In Saipan, one-family house detached from any other house was 44.0% of all occupied housing units; unit in a building with 2 to 10 apartments was 35.5%; unit in a building with more than 10 apartment units was 12.0%; one-family house attached to one or more houses was 7.4%; while other building types was 1.2%. Single-family house detached from any other house percentage was higher in Rota (69.6%) and Tinian (58.0%). In other words, Saipan has relatively more apartment-type units while Rota and Tinian had relatively more single-family type units. Almost all buildings in the CNMI with more than 10 apartment units (99.7%) were in Saipan.
Within Saipan, single-family house detached from any other house percentage was higher in Districts 5 (79.8%) and 4 (72.4%) and relatively lower in Districts 2 (24.3%) and 3 (27.2%) and was just over half in District 1 (50.6%).
Occupancy Type
The percentage of all occupied housing units rented for cash was highest in Saipan (56.3%), followed by Tinian (48.5%) and lowest in Rota (30.7%). The percentage of all occupied units occupied without cash payment was highest in Rota (32.7%), followed by Tinian (30.9%), and was lowest in Saipan (20.1%). The percentage owned free and clear was highest in Rota (32.7%), followed by Saipan (18.6%), and lowest in Tinian (15.5%). The percentage owned with a mortgage or loan was highest in Saipan (6.6%), followed by Tinian (5.1%), and lowest in Rota (3.9%).
Within Saipan, units rented for cash percentage was highest in District 3 (67.4%) followed by District 2 (57.7%) and District 1 (56.6%), while relatively lower in District 5 (39.6%) and District 4 (28.0%). Owner occupied units’ percentage was higher in Districts 4 (56.1%) and 5 (49.9%) and lower in Districts 1 (24.9%), 3 (14.6%), and 2 (10.6%).
Rent Amount
Median and mean rent amounts were higher in Saipan, $250 and $304, respectively; followed by Tinian, $130 and $222, respectively; and were lowest in Rota, $100 and $131, respectively.
The percentage of all units with cash rent less than $200 was highest in Rota (83.8%); followed by Tinian 72.4%, and lowest in Saipan (35.6%). The percentage of units with cash rent between $200 and $399 was highest in Saipan (38.5%), followed by Tinian (23.2%) and lowest in Rota (14.0%). The percentage of units with cash rent $400 or more was relatively high in Saipan (26.0%) and low in Tinian (4.4%) and Rota (2.2%).
Water Source and Purchasing Drinking Water
Within Saipan, the percentage of all units getting water from a public system only was highest in District 5 (92.7%) and lowest in District 4 (46.7%). The percentage getting water from a public system and cistern was highest in District 4 (43.7%) and lowest in District 5 (3.3%).
The percentage of occupied units that purchased drinking water was highest in Saipan (95.5%), followed by Tinian (91.2%) and lowest in Rota (54.8%). Within Saipan, the percentage of all units that purchased drinking water was highest in District 2 (98.1%), and lowest in District 4 (86.2%).
Sewer Connection
The percentage of occupied units connected to public sewer higher in Saipan (50.9%) and lower in Tinian (9.3%) and Rota (9.1%). The percentage of occupied units connected to septic tank or cesspool was higher in Tinian (90.3%) and Rota (90.1%) and lower in Saipan (48%).
Within Saipan, the percentage of all occupied units connected to public sewer was highest in District 2 (85.1%), followed by District 3 (71.5%), lower in District 1 (33.4%) and District 4 (24.9%) and lowest in District 5 (11.5%). The percentage of all occupied units connected to septic tank or cesspool was highest in District 5 (87.5%) and lowest in District 2 (14.9%).
Trash Collection and Monthly Bill
The percentage of occupied units that subscribed to trash collection service was higher in Saipan (44.5%), while lower in Tinian (8.9%) and Rota (1.6%). (Note that Tinian and Rota do not have companies that provide trach collection service like in Saipan. Trash collection service in these two islands are likely part of privately arranged landscaping/trach collection services.)
In Rota, there was only few units that reported paying for a trash collection service and not enough cases to derive reliable monthly bill amount estimate.
Monthly Bill
The cooking gas monthly bill median and mean amounts were higher in Rota, $37.00 and $35,56, respectively, than in Tinian ($24.50 and $28.88, respectively) and Saipan ($24.00 and $26.45, respectively). In other words, units in Saipan spent less on cooking gas monthly, on average, than in Tinian and Rota. The percentage of all units that paid between$30 to $49 was 47.1% in Rota, 14.9% in Tinian, but only 7.0% in Saipan.
Home Value
The home value median amount was highest in Tinian ($85,000), followed by Saipan ($80,000), then Tinian ($75,00). The mean amount was highest in Saipan ($167,276), followed by Tinian ($127,350), then Rota ($92,957). In other words, self-declared home value, in general was lower in Rota than in Saipan and Tinian. The percentage of units valued between $50,000 and $99,999 was 41.4% in Rota, 38.6% in Tinian and 29.7% in Saipan.
Within Saipan, home value median was highest in District 5 ($100,00) and lowest in District 2 ($50,000) while the mean amount was highest in District 4 ($323,914) and lowest in District 2 ($61,500). The percentage of all units with home value less than $50,000 was highest District 2 (40.3%) and lowest in District 5 (19.5%). The percentage of all units with home values between $50,000 and $99,999 was highest District 2 (38.6%) and lowest in District 5 (20.0%). The percentage of all units with values between $100,000 and $149,999 was highest District 5 (31.4%) and lowest in District 2 (10.5%). The percentage of all units with values between $150,000 and $299,999 was highest in District 5 (24.5%) and lowest in District 2 (10.5%). The percentage of all units with values $300,000 or more was highest District 1 (12.8%) and lowest in District 2.
Please see further details in the full report.