America has 15.3 million empty homes and a housing shortage at the same time, and the explanation lives in what “vacant” actually means, so we broke down the vacant homes in the United States by state and by status. Fewer than 850,000 of those homes, about 6 percent, are actually listed for sale.
The newest quarterly Census count shows 15.3 million vacant homes, but the detailed survey behind the state numbers counts 14 million, and only 849,448 of those are on the market.
The biggest category of empty homes isn’t for sale or for rent: 4.3 million are seasonal or vacation homes, and 4.9 million sit in the Census’s catch-all “other vacant” bucket.
Maine has the highest vacancy rate at 19.5 percent, and nearly three-quarters of its empty homes are seasonal camps and cottages.
West Virginia’s 14.5 percent tells a different story: only a fifth of its vacant homes are seasonal.
There are about 18 vacant homes for every person experiencing homelessness, but only about 1.1 of those homes per person are actually for sale.
The map, the full state table, and the honest math on the viral comparisons are below.
How many homes are vacant in the US?
Around 15.3 million, per the Census Bureau’s newest quarterly housing survey, though the detailed annual survey that powers our state numbers puts it at 14 million, or 9.5 percent of the country’s 146.7 million housing units. The two surveys count slightly differently, and both are right about the big picture. Roughly one in ten American homes sits empty at any moment.
But “vacant” is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Only 849,448 of those homes, about 6 percent of the vacant stock, are actually listed for sale. The rest are vacation homes, rentals waiting for tenants, homes between occupants, and a very large pile the Census can only call “other.”
What America’s 14 million vacant homes actually are: share of vacant units by status. The remainder are homes already rented or sold and awaiting their new occupants, plus housing for migrant workers.
Other vacant35.1% · 4,916,257
Seasonal or vacation31.0% · 4,342,127
For rent20.0% · 2,800,315
For sale6.1% · 849,448
Source: Census Bureau, ACS 2024 one-year estimates, table B25004.
Which states have the most vacant homes?
Maine leads at 19.5 percent, followed by Alaska at 16.9 and Vermont at 16.8, and in the New England pair the story is written on the lake: 73.5 percent of Maine’s vacant homes and 78.4 percent of Vermont’s are seasonal places. Empty in the statistics, full every July.
West Virginia is the map’s other story. Its 14.5 percent vacancy rate comes with only 19.9 percent seasonal, meaning most of its empty homes are simply empty, filed under the Census’s “other vacant” category. At the bottom sit Nebraska and Connecticut, both 6.4 percent, with Washington and Colorado close behind at 6.8.
Map: vacant homes by state, ranked by vacancy rate, darkest = most vacant (Maine, 19.5%). Census American Community Survey, newest one-year estimates.Share of all housing units sitting vacant, from 6.4% in Nebraska and Connecticut up to Maine’s 19.5%.
Source: Census Bureau, ACS 2024 one-year estimates, tables B25002 and B25004.
The table below shows every state plus DC: the vacancy rate, the raw count of empty homes, and what those empty homes actually are, seasonal, for sale, or other. Sort it however you want.
Vacant homes by state: all 50 states plus DC, ranked by the share of housing units sitting vacant (Census ACS, newest one-year estimates). Seasonal, for-sale, and other columns show what each state’s vacant homes actually are, as shares of its vacant stock. Click a header to sort.
Rank
State
Vacancy rate
Vacant homes
Seasonal %
For sale %
Other %
1
Maine
19.5%
149,478
73.5%
2.0%
17.7%
2
Alaska
16.9%
55,712
48.3%
2.5%
32.8%
3
Vermont
16.8%
57,618
78.4%
1.0%
14.7%
4
West Virginia
14.5%
125,593
19.9%
4.7%
60.9%
5
Florida
14.0%
1,488,170
49.8%
7.2%
18.7%
6
Hawaii
13.9%
79,673
46.0%
3.2%
27.9%
7
Louisiana
13.6%
289,917
12.8%
5.5%
57.0%
8
Alabama
13.5%
322,243
21.2%
5.3%
51.1%
9
Delaware
13.5%
64,111
56.7%
5.3%
19.6%
10
Mississippi
13.4%
182,533
13.9%
5.1%
63.0%
11
New Hampshire
13.2%
86,509
67.7%
3.2%
17.4%
12
Montana
13.1%
70,641
52.7%
3.7%
27.2%
13
Arkansas
12.3%
174,275
20.1%
5.1%
48.6%
14
South Carolina
12.2%
308,420
32.9%
4.3%
39.9%
15
New Mexico
12.0%
116,974
31.1%
5.5%
43.6%
16
Michigan
11.5%
537,828
43.6%
4.0%
32.9%
17
North Carolina
11.4%
577,150
31.0%
7.1%
33.6%
18
Oklahoma
10.9%
196,679
14.4%
6.9%
53.2%
19
District of Columbia
10.6%
39,013
6.5%
6.9%
42.2%
20
Missouri
10.3%
295,283
22.9%
5.6%
47.3%
21
Wisconsin
10.1%
285,340
57.0%
3.7%
21.0%
22
New York
9.8%
848,837
32.1%
5.6%
34.5%
23
South Dakota
9.8%
41,403
25.7%
9.9%
37.7%
24
Idaho
9.7%
80,871
48.5%
8.9%
21.7%
25
Tennessee
9.7%
315,189
17.5%
5.6%
46.5%
26
Arizona
9.6%
316,703
43.3%
7.3%
20.7%
27
Georgia
9.6%
448,064
18.2%
6.2%
41.0%
28
Nevada
9.3%
126,968
27.8%
6.0%
29.8%
29
Texas
9.2%
1,166,967
14.7%
8.2%
34.2%
30
Kentucky
9.0%
185,548
16.1%
6.2%
55.0%
31
Minnesota
9.0%
233,787
49.7%
5.4%
22.5%
32
Wyoming
9.0%
25,500
40.6%
7.5%
36.3%
33
Pennsylvania
8.5%
499,596
26.7%
4.6%
42.1%
34
Indiana
8.3%
250,464
15.8%
7.0%
48.3%
35
North Dakota
8.2%
31,289
29.6%
7.9%
40.9%
36
Kansas
8.1%
105,627
11.8%
5.3%
52.9%
37
Rhode Island
8.1%
39,693
37.1%
3.0%
37.4%
38
Oregon
8.0%
152,581
35.2%
8.0%
26.5%
39
Iowa
7.9%
115,049
18.5%
7.1%
48.9%
40
Virginia
7.9%
296,904
24.6%
5.7%
39.7%
41
Utah
7.7%
98,778
38.1%
8.7%
21.8%
42
Ohio
7.6%
406,846
13.3%
5.9%
50.9%
43
Massachusetts
7.5%
228,049
45.4%
4.6%
25.0%
44
California
7.3%
1,079,379
31.0%
5.7%
28.6%
45
Maryland
7.2%
186,943
27.9%
6.8%
35.4%
46
New Jersey
7.1%
272,488
44.4%
5.5%
26.0%
47
Illinois
6.9%
376,685
10.7%
7.7%
52.2%
48
Colorado
6.8%
182,219
41.6%
7.9%
21.1%
49
Washington
6.8%
232,900
32.3%
6.9%
25.6%
50
Connecticut
6.4%
98,822
26.7%
5.0%
37.5%
51
Nebraska
6.4%
56,509
18.7%
5.7%
51.3%
–
USA
9.5%
14,003,818
31.0%
6.1%
35.1%
Source: Census Bureau, ACS 2024 one-year estimates, tables B25002 and B25004.
Are there more empty houses than homeless people?
Yes, and the raw ratio is startling: about 18 vacant homes for every person experiencing homelessness, using the 14 million vacant count against HUD’s 2024 point-in-time count of roughly 771,000 people, a record high. That version of the number travels far on social media.
The honest version travels less. Count only the vacant homes actually for sale and the ratio drops to about 1.1 per person, before you get to location, condition, or price. The gap between 18 and 1.1 is the whole story: America’s empty homes are mostly not available, and mostly not where the need is.
The viral comparison, computed both ways.
18vacant homes per person experiencing homelessness, counting every empty unit14 million vacant (ACS) ÷ ~771,000 (HUD 2024 count)
1.1vacant homes per person when you count only those actually for sale849,448 for-sale vacants ÷ ~771,000
Why are so many homes just sitting empty?
The biggest single bucket, 4.9 million homes, is the Census’s “other vacant” category: homes held off the market for personal reasons, tied up in estates or repairs, or simply left behind in places that emptied out. A Flock Homes estimate reported by The New York Times puts off-market vacant single-family homes at 7.2 million under a broader definition.
Meanwhile the for-sale slice keeps shrinking. The Census Bureau’s own 20-year retrospective found vacant homes listed for sale fell from 1.3 million in 2005 to fewer than 850,000 in 2024, cut nearly in half while total vacancy stayed high.
Empty homes and a housing shortage aren’t a contradiction. They’re the same market, seen from two sides.
Two very different kinds of “empty”: the share of each state’s vacant homes that are seasonal places.
73.5%of Maine’s vacant homes are seasonal camps and cottagesvacation country
19.9%of West Virginia’s vacant homes are seasonal; the rest are simply emptya different story
Source: Census Bureau, ACS 2024 one-year estimates, table B25004.
Methodology: where these numbers come from
State figures come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2024 one-year estimates, tables B25002 and B25004: total housing units, vacant units, and vacancy status (for sale, for rent, seasonal, and other) for the 50 states plus DC. The national headline count comes from the Census Bureau’s separate quarterly Housing Vacancies and Homeownership survey, whose newest reading is 15.3 million. The two surveys use different methods, which is why you see both 14 million and 15.3 million cited; we label each where it appears.
The homelessness figure is HUD’s 2024 point-in-time count, about 771,000 people. Widely shared vacancy numbers ranging from 14.5 to 17 million are mostly these same Census series quoted at different vintages, occasionally mixed together. The ratio math in this article divides like by like and says which universe each number comes from.
State detail: Census ACS 2024 1-year, tables B25002 / B25004
National headline: Census HVS quarterly (newest reading 15.3M)
Ratios divide like by like; every number carries its survey label
For the occupied side of the ledger, our US housing statistics page covers the homes people actually live in.
Bottom line
America’s vacancy problem is real but badly described. One in ten homes is empty, yet only about 6 percent of those are for sale, and the states with the most empty houses are mostly vacation country, not ghost towns. The stat that deserves the attention is the quiet one: the for-sale slice of vacant America has nearly halved in twenty years.
If you see the viral version, remember both numbers. Eighteen empty homes per homeless person is true. So is 1.1.
Frequently asked questions
How many homes are unoccupied in the United States?
About 15.3 million homes are vacant per the Census Bureau’s newest quarterly survey, or 14 million in the detailed annual survey, roughly one in ten homes either way. Only 849,448 of them are listed for sale. The rest are seasonal homes, rentals awaiting tenants, homes between occupants, and off-market properties.
Why are there so many empty homes in the US?
Most empty homes are empty on purpose: 31 percent are seasonal or vacation homes and 20 percent are rentals waiting for tenants, per Census vacancy data. The biggest bucket, 35 percent, is “other vacant,” homes held off-market for repairs, estates, or personal reasons. Only about 6 percent are actually for sale.
What state has the most vacant homes?
Maine has the highest vacancy rate, with 19.5 percent of its housing sitting empty, followed by Alaska at 16.9 percent and Vermont at 16.8, per Census American Community Survey data. Nearly three-quarters of Maine’s vacant homes are seasonal cottages and camps. Nebraska and Connecticut have the lowest rates, both at 6.4 percent.
Are there more empty houses than homeless people in the US?
Yes, about 18 vacant homes exist for every person experiencing homelessness, comparing 14 million vacant homes with HUD’s 2024 count of roughly 771,000 people. But only about 1.1 of those homes per person are actually for sale. Most vacant homes are seasonal, already rented, or off the market entirely.
Who owns all the vacant homes?
Mostly ordinary owners: vacation-home families, landlords between tenants, sellers in transition, and estates. A Flock Homes estimate reported by The New York Times counts 7.2 million off-market vacant single-family homes under a broader definition. No single owner class dominates the vacant stock.
US Census Bureau via FRED. “Housing Inventory Estimate: Vacant Housing Units in the United States (EVACANTUSQ176N).” 2026. fred.stlouisfed.org/series/EVACANTUSQ176N
US Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR), 2024 Point-in-Time Count.” 2024. www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahar.html
Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.
He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.
If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.
