Q1 rental vacancy rate holds.

The vacancy rate for rental units was essentially unchanged during the first quarter of 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

At 10.1 percent, the first-quarter vacancy rate for all rental units remained the same from the first quarter of 2008, but it was higher than the fourth-quarter 2007 vacancy rate of 9.6 percent.

The rate translates to 35.7 million renters during the first quarter of 2008. Although the number of owner-occupied units was not statistically different from a year earlier, the number of renter-occupied units was higher than estimated last year, noted the Census Bureau.

By region, the rental vacancy rates for the current quarter were highest in the South at 12.7 percent and the Midwest at 11.8 percent, while the rates were lowest in the Northeast at 7.3 percent and the West at 7 percent. The rental vacancy rates by region were not statistically different from their respective rates a year ago, according to the Census Bureau.