It’s a fair question — especially for buyers priced out of the market. The short answer is that most of these vacant homes aren’t actually for sale. Many are vacation homes, investment properties, or abandoned buildings in cities where demand is low.
Nationwide, about 9% of homes are considered vacant. While 16 million homes may sound like a surplus, nearly one-third of those are seasonal or recreational properties — especially in high-demand vacation destinations like Florida and Arizona. Other homes are stuck in legal limbo, in disrepair, or waiting for the right buyer in a cooling local market.
At the same time, major cities with low vacancy rates, like Gilbert, Arizona, or Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, are seeing population spikes, housing shortages, and rising home prices. The mismatch between where homes sit empty and where demand is growing helps explain why the market remains tight despite so many vacant properties.
In this article, we break down the latest housing data from 179 major cities, showing where homes are sitting empty, why they’re not selling, and how vacation homes and market shifts are driving housing costs higher for everyday buyers.
Key Stats
- Roughly 9% of homes (16 million) in America are considered vacant.
- The top 10 U.S. cities with the highest vacancy rates are in the South or Midwest.
- Nearly one-third (32.8%) of vacant homes are vacation homes for seasonal or recreational use.
- The cities with the highest percentage of vacant homes as vacation homes include Scottsdale, Arizona along with Miami Beach and Pompano Beach, Florida.
What Is a ‘Vacant Home?’
The U.S. Census Bureau considers a home “vacant” if no one lives there at the time of the survey — even if someone’s planning to move in soon. Some are second homes or rentals between tenants, while others are abandoned or waiting to be sold.
In this analysis, we count homes as vacant if they fall into one of these categories:
- Second homes or vacation properties
- Rentals without current tenants
- Homes for sale but not yet occupied
- Foreclosures or homes needing repair
- Properties used for storage or seasonal workers
Not every vacant home is available to buy — and many aren’t move-in ready. That’s a big part of why the high vacancy rate doesn’t equal more options for homebuyers.e abandoned. The breakdown of vacant homes in the U.S. is shown below.
Cities With the Most Vacant Homes
Cities with the highest vacancy rates are mostly in the South and Midwest — but the reasons vary.
- Miami Beach, FL tops the list, but most of its vacant homes are luxury vacation properties.
- Asheville, NC has the highest share of vacant homes actively for sale (16%) — driven by high prices and a mismatch between what’s on the market and what buyers want.
- Detroit, MI stands out with a large number of homes sitting vacant for “other” reasons — like foreclosure, abandonment, or needing major repairs.
Experts link these vacancies to economic struggles. For example, Detroit’s housing market has been hit hard by the decline of the auto industry, causing a drop in population and a rise in abandoned homes. Meanwhile, Asheville’s price surge has pushed many buyers to the sidelines, waiting for the market to correct.
Vacation Homes Are Driving Up Vacancy Rates
About one-third of vacant homes in the U.S. are used as vacation homes — and these tend to cluster in warm-weather destinations like Florida and Arizona.
Cities where vacation homes make up a large chunk of vacancies include:
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Miami Beach, FL
- Pompano Beach, FL
In these areas, more than half of all vacant homes are second homes. While these properties can be lucrative for investors, they tighten the housing supply for full-time residents — especially those with moderate incomes.
Are Vacation Homes Pricing Out Locals?
In many cases, yes. Vacation homes reduce the inventory of affordable, full-time residences and inflate prices in desirable neighborhoods. In the top cities for vacation vacancies, median home prices are well above the national average, while median incomes often fall below it.
That means locals are stuck competing with out-of-town buyers who can afford to pay cash or outbid traditional buyers.
Realtor and Luxury So Cal Realty founder Joy Aumann said the high rate of get-away homes in South Florida cities like Miami Beach and Pompano Beach is “driving up domestic costs and making it more troublesome” for local residents to afford a house.
“Excursion homes can certainly be a profitable speculation for mortgage holders, [but] it's imperative to consider the effect they may have on the general lodging showcase and the reasonableness of lodging for all inhabitants.” Aumann told Today’s Homeowner.
Texas realtor Bramlett said that while vacation homes can certainly drive up home prices and create scarcity in the market, it’s not the only factor. “This trend may depend on the specific city and its unique economic factors,” Bramlett said.
Cities With the Fewest Vacant Homes
On the flip side, some cities have extremely low vacancy rates — and those tend to be growing, in-demand markets.
- Gilbert, AZ has the lowest vacancy rate at just 2.1%, fueled by population growth, low crime, and good schools.
- Broken Arrow, OK and Fresno, CA also have tight housing markets, thanks to steady in-migration and limited new construction.
In these areas, low vacancy usually translates to higher home prices and stiff competition for buyers. Homes don’t sit on the market long — often selling in just a few weeks.
Methodology
Data for this study comes from the Census Bureau’s 1-year 2021 American Community Survey. Today’s Homeowner compared data across 179 of the largest U.S. cities to determine the cities with the fewest vacant homes. We looked at two metrics: the number of vacant homes (including all seven Census-designated types of vacancies) and the total number of homes.
Fair Use Policy
We encourage journalists and reporters to share our research on vacant homes in America. If you choose to do so, please link back to our original story to give us proper credit for our research.
Final Thoughts
The housing market looks confusing on the surface — 16 million empty homes, yet prices remain high. But the key lies in the details. Many vacant homes aren’t available or livable, and the ones that are tend to be in cities with low demand.
Meanwhile, the hottest housing markets have few vacancies and lots of competition, keeping prices high. Add in the impact of vacation homes soaking up local inventory, and it’s easy to see why home ownership remains out of reach for many Americans — despite the apparent surplus.
