It used to be part of the American Dream — the cute house in the suburbs with a garage and a big yard for the kids.

Now, however, more and more New Jersey residents are opting out.

In the last ten years, there are fewer homeowners and more renters in New Jersey, according to an analysis of Census housing data.

Of the 3.1 million housing units, about 35.9 percent are rented by their occupants while 64.1 percent are owned – about 2.5 percentage points less than it was about 10 years ago.