Occupancy and Vacancy Rate by ZIP: Where Housing Sits Empty (2026)
The occupancy-rate card is the simplest number on a dossier and one of the most telling: of the housing units in the ZIP, how many are occupied. Vacancy is where distress hides, because an empty house pays no rent, deteriorates and draws code enforcement. This report gives the national stock, the ZIPs with the highest vacancy among those with at least two thousand units, and the way the card reads next to the foreclosure and construction cards.
- 145,383,630 housing units sit across 33,772 ZIPs on the occupancy-rate card: 130,497,659 occupied and 14,885,971 vacant.
- The average vacancy rate is 16.2%; 6,322 ZIPs run at twenty-five percent or more, many of them seasonal.
- 84762 in Kane County, UT shows the highest vacancy among large ZIPs at 95.8%, 2,309 empty of 2,411 units.
- Seasonal units count as vacant, so the occupancy-rate read is paired with foreclosure pressure before it is called distress.
occupancy-rate: the occupancy-rate card figures as of 2026-10-20; source Census housing-unit, occupancy and tenure figures by ZIP with FHA exposure.
| ZIP (county, state) | Vacancy rate | Housing units | Vacant units | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84762 (Kane, UT) | 95.8% | 2,411 | 2,309 | $408,700 |
| 93664 (Fresno, CA) | 90.9% | 2,065 | 1,877 | $643,900 |
| 83429 (Fremont, ID) | 90.5% | 3,405 | 3,080 | $502,200 |
| 84028 (Rich, UT) | 89.5% | 2,267 | 2,028 | $612,700 |
| 86017 (Coconino, AZ) | 87.5% | 3,043 | 2,664 | $779,900 |
| 27927 (Currituck, NC) | 87.2% | 4,873 | 4,250 | $714,700 |
| 05751 (Rutland, VT) | 85.5% | 2,651 | 2,266 | $488,400 |
| 08202 (Cape May, NJ) | 85.2% | 5,676 | 4,838 | $1,857,400 |
| 05356 (Windham, VT) | 85.2% | 2,643 | 2,251 | $328,500 |
| 08247 (Cape May, NJ) | 84.6% | 3,275 | 2,770 | $1,805,600 |
ZIPs by vacancy rate (2,000+ housing units) (occupancy-rate, as of 2026-10-20)
ZIPs with the most vacant stock by rate (occupancy-rate)
84762 in Kane County, UT: vacancy 95.8%, 2,309 vacant of 2,411 units, median value $408,700; 93664 in Fresno County, CA: vacancy 90.9%, 1,877 vacant of 2,065 units, median value $643,900; 83429 in Fremont County, ID: vacancy 90.5%, 3,080 vacant of 3,405 units, median value $502,200; 84028 in Rich County, UT: vacancy 89.5%, 2,028 vacant of 2,267 units, median value $612,700; 86017 in Coconino County, AZ: vacancy 87.5%, 2,664 vacant of 3,043 units, median value $779,900; 27927 in Currituck County, NC: vacancy 87.2%, 4,250 vacant of 4,873 units, median value $714,700.
What occupancy-rate measures
The card shows total housing units, owner-occupied units, the occupancy rate, the vacancy rate, landlord exposure through FHA concentration and the owner-renter split. Vacancy here is the Census measure: units not occupied on the survey date, including seasonal and for-sale units.
How occupancy-rate is computed
Units, occupancy and tenure are read from the Census ZIP tabulation; the rate is vacant divided by total. Because seasonal homes count as vacant, coastal and resort ZIPs read high without being distressed, which is why the card sits beside the foreclosure-pressure and liquidity cards rather than alone.
How to use occupancy-rate on a deal
Read vacancy with the phase: high vacancy in a contraction-phase ZIP with rising foreclosure pressure is distress; high vacancy in a resort ZIP with stable prices is seasonality. For a rental buyer the owner-renter split tells you whether the empty units are rentals waiting for tenants or second homes.
Read occupancy-rate on your ZIPs
The most-distressed ZIP list shows vacancy beside the composite score; the live board shows the card on every parcel.
Occupancy-rate refreshes with its source table.
Occupancy and Vacancy Rate by ZIP: Where Housing Sits Empty (2026): questions
Does vacancy include second homes?
Yes. The Census counts seasonal and recreational units as vacant, which lifts resort ZIPs.
Is the county breakdown on the card?
Yes. The housing-availability card shows the county's units, occupied and vacant beside the ZIP's.
How current is it?
The Census American Community Survey, updated annually.
More on the occupancy-rate card
Occupancy and Vacancy Rate by ZIP: Where Housing Sits Empty (2026) (occupancy-rate) is computed from Census housing-unit, occupancy and tenure figures by ZIP with FHA exposure; the occupancy-rate card is research (occupancy-rate), not legal advice; nothing on the occupancy-rate page is tax or occupancy-rate investment advice, so verify every occupancy-rate figure with its issuing agency before acting.