Vacancy and Zombie Home Rates Low Across the Country
Industry Update
February 19, 2026
Source: ATTOM
ATTOM, the leading provider of property data, AI-powered analytics, and real estate intelligence solutions, today released its first-quarter 2026 Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report showing that 1.33 percent of the residential properties in the United States, or nearly 1.4 million homes, were vacant at the beginning of the year. That was essentially the same rate as the 1.32 percent rate posted in the previous quarter and in the first quarter of 2025.
The report analyzes publicly recorded real estate data collected by ATTOM — including foreclosure status, equity and owner-occupancy status — matched against monthly updated vacancy data. (See full methodology below).
Out of the nation’s nearly 104.8 million residential properties, 230,401 were in the process of foreclosure at the time of the report. Of those, 7,540 properties, or 3.27 percent, were “zombies,” meaning their owners had abandoned them before the end of the foreclosure proceedings. That zombie rate was essentially the same as the prior quarter but down slightly from 3.34 percent at the same time last year.
“It will come as no surprise to anyone shopping for a home that vacancy rates remain low. That is one reason home prices have continued to rise despite ongoing affordability challenges,” said Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM. “It is also encouraging for both neighborhoods and the broader market that even among properties in foreclosure, vacancy rates remain relatively low.”
Most states have fewer zombie homes
In 28 states and the District of Columbia, the number of zombie properties fell quarter-over-quarter.
Among states with at least 50 zombie properties, the largest quarter-over-quarter increases were in Maryland (up 45.6 percent to 115 zombies), South Carolina (up 34 percent to 130 zombies), Oklahoma (up 26.3 percent to 72 zombies), California (up 15.1 percent to 313 zombies), and Nevada (up 11.9 percent to 66 zombies).
The largest quarter-over-quarter drops were in Georgia (down 31.1 percent to 51 zombies). North Carolina (down 25.6 percent to 61 zombies), Kansas (down 23.5 percent to 62 zombies), Texas (down 13.7 percent to 177 zombies), and Iowa (down 13.1 percent to 93 zombies).
Northeast retains lowest vacancy rates
The states with the highest overall home vacancy rates were Oklahoma (2.4 percent), Kansas (2.4 percent), Alabama (2.2 percent), Missouri (2.1 percent), and West Virginia (2.1 percent).
The lowest vacancy rates were in New Hampshire (0.3 percent), Vermont (0.4 percent), New Jersey (0.5 percent), Connecticut (0.5 percent), and Idaho (0.6 percent).
Metros in the Midwest have highest incidence of zombies
Of the 27 metropolitan statistical areas with sufficient data to analyze, meaning they had at least 100,000 total residential properties and 50 or more properties in the foreclosure process that are vacant, the highest zombie rates were in Cleveland, OH (9.9 percent); Baltimore, MD (9.3 percent); St. Louis, MO (8.6 percent); Akron, OH (7.4 percent); and Indianapolis, IN (6.5 percent).
Those metro areas that had the lowest zombie foreclosure rate were New York, NY (1.6 percent); Philadelphia, PA (1.7 percent); Los Angeles, CA (2.2 percent); Orlando, FL (2.2 percent); and Lakeland, FL (2.4 percent).
Big investors have more empty homes
Properties held by institutional investors, rather than individual owners, were more likely to be vacant. Of the roughly 25.2 million institutional investor-owned homes, about 3.5 percent were vacant.
The states with the highest vacancy rates for investor-owned properties were Indiana (7.2 percent), Illinois (6.2 percent), Alabama (6 percent), Kansas (6 percent), and Oklahoma (5.9 percent).
The lowest vacancy rates for investor-owned properties were in New Hampshire (0.8 percent), Vermont (1 percent), Idaho (1.3 percent), North Dakota (1.5 percent), and Maine (1.5 percent).
Zombie rates top 40 percent of pre-foreclosure homes in some zip codes
Out of 2,237 zip codes with at least 1,000 properties and 25 in pre-foreclosure, the highest zombie rates were in 21217 in Baltimore, MD (44 percent); 44108 in Cleveland, OH (41.1 percent); 33708 in Saint Petersburg, FL (39.3 percent); 34652 in New Port Richey, FL (35.5 percent); and 92262 in Palm Springs, CA (32.5 percent).
Conclusion
ATTOM’s first quarter analysis found that 1.33 percent of U.S. residential properties were vacant, essentially the same rate as the previous quarter. The rate of zombie homes held steady nationwide, although 28 states saw fewer zombie homes quarter-over-quarter. Properties owned by institutional investors continued to have higher vacancy rates than residential properties in general.
For full report, please click the source link above.
