Story at a glance
- Maine has the highest vacant housing rate in the country, according to a new analysis from real estate website LAHomes.
- Alaska and Vermont have the second and third-highest vacancy rates.
- California, the most populous state in the nation, has the lowest average home vacancy rate of 8.5 percent annually.
Maine has the most vacant housing out of all 50 states, according to new research from real estate website LAHomes.
The Pine Tree State had an average home vacancy rate of 23.9 between 2011 and 2021, the research shows.
The state’s home vacancy rate peaked at 23.3 percent in 2013 and fell to its lowest—22.5 percent—in 2020.
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Alaska and Vermont have the second and third-highest vacant home rates, respectively.
The Last Frontier state has an average home vacancy rate of 21.4 percent during that same time, LAHomes also found.
Home vacancy rates reached their highest in Alaska in 2012 and 2013 at 23.3 percent in both years and fell to their lowest in 2021 to 17.9 percent.
Meanwhile, Vermont has an average home vacancy rate of 21.3 percent for those same years. Vacant housing in the Green Mountain State reached its highest in 2014 and 2015 when the vacant housing rate was 23 percent.
It then dipped to its lowest point in 2020, falling to 18.9 percent.
“While it is a pattern in most states that vacancy rates have been lower in recent years, not all states have any strong trends to analyze in the 2010s, with vacancy rates fluctuating all throughout this 10-year period,” a LAHomes spokesperson said.
“There are plenty of reasons for fluctuating vacancy rates, with things like changing house prices, the relocation of businesses, and the cost of upkeeping property all affecting the demand for housing in certain states,” they added.
Meanwhile, California had the lowest home vacancy rate out of any other states with an average of 8.5 percent.
Like many states, California’s home vacany rate fell to its lowest in 2020, dipping to 7 percent.
LAHomes used data from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Survey in order to help calculate which states have the highest and lowest vacant housing rates, according to a release.
Here are the states with the highest vacant housing rates:
- Maine—23.9 percent
- Alaska—21.4 percent
- Vermont—21.3 percent
- Florida—20.5 percent
- West Virginia—17.7 percent
- Delaware—17.6 percent
- Alabama—17.2 percent
- New Hampshire—17.2 percent
- Hawaii—16.9 percent
- Arizona—16.7 percent
Here are the states with the lowest vacant housing rates:
- California—8.5 percent
- Washington—8.7 percent
- Iowa—9.5 percent
- Connecticut—9.9 percent
- Ohio—9.9 percent
- Nebraska—10.02 percent
- Oregon—10.03 percent
- Illinois—10.1 percent
- Colorado—10.3 percent
- Minnesota—10.6 percent
- Utah—10.7 percent