National vacancy rates in the second quarter 2021 were 6.2% for rental housing and 0.9% for homeowner housing, according to the latest data from the Commerce Department. The rental vacancy rate increased 0.5 percentage points YoY (by 5.7%) and is 0.6 percentage points lower than the rate in the first quarter 2021 (6.8%). The homeowner vacancy rate of 0.9% remained flat YoY and virtually the same as the rate in the first quarter 2021 as well.
The homeownership rate of 65.4% was 2.5 percentage points lower YoY (67.9 percent) but not statistically different from the rate in the first quarter 2021 (65.6 percent).
Regional Breakdown
Homeowner Vacancy Rates
– South:1%
– Midwest: 0.7%
– Northeast: 0.9%
– West: 0.8%
Rental Vacancy Rates
– South: 6.9%
– Midwest: 7.3%
– Northeast: 5.6%
– West: 4.8%
An estimated 89.0% of the housing units in the United States in Q2 2021 were occupied and 11.0% were vacant. Owner-occupied housing units made up 58.2% of total housing units, while renter-occupied units made up 30.8%.
