BluegrassForeclosure.com

In a spin-off from the sour economy, Kentuckians are increasingly opting to rent and more housing units are empty than a decade ago, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Renter-occupied housing accounted for 31 percent of all homes, the 2010 census numbers found, up from 29 percent in 2000.

Nearly 11 percent of Kentucky’s 1.9 million housing units were vacant compared to 9.2 percent a decade earlier, according to the numbers released last week.

Kentucky’s housing market hasn’t been as hard hit as many other states reeling from the worst housing downturn since the Great Depression. Still, the Bluegrass state has suffered from higher foreclosure rates, falling property value and anemic home construction.