ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

Unless you look quickly you may miss one of those pleasant aspects of life that, like open beach-front property, was once common in Orange County: the $500 rental payment. Since 1983, the percentage of county residents saying they pay $500 or less to rent their home has declined by about two-thirds. At the same time, the percentage paying between $500 and $1,000 per month has nearly doubled while the portion with payments in excess of $1,000 has jumped from virtually non-existent to one in 10. There is more stability on the mortgage front, but at the extremes the same patterns obtain.

In percentages

RENT PAYMENTS

Less than $500

1983: 62%

1984: 40%

1985: 36%

1986: 27%

1987: 23%

1988: 20%

$501-$1,000

1983: 37%

1984: 57%

1985: 59%

1986: 64%

1987: 70%

1988: 69%

More than $1,000

1983: 1%

1984: 3%

1985: 5%

1986: 9%

1987: 7%

1988: 11%

MORTGAGE PAYMENTS

Less than $500

1983: 55%

1984: 47%

1985: 47%

1986: 43%

1987: 40%

1988: 38%

$501-$1,000

1983: 33%

1984: 33%

1985: 31%

1986: 30%

1987: 31%

1988: 30%

More than $1,000

1983: 12%

1984: 20%

1985: 22%

1986: 27%

1987: 29%

1988: 32%

Source: Orange County Survey by Mark Baldassare, UCI