(AURN News) — If your neighborhood is filled with empty houses, your home might be worth a lot less.
That’s the takeaway from a new LendingTree study, which found that states with the highest housing vacancy rates also have the lowest median home values — by a wide margin.
Maine, Vermont and Alaska had the highest vacancy rates in the country, while Washington, Oregon and Connecticut had the lowest. Nationwide, vacancy rates dropped 0.36 percentage points between 2022 and 2023.
“States with low vacancy rates have significantly higher median home values than states with high vacancy rates,” the study said. “Across the 10 states with the lowest vacancy rates, the median home values average $408,382. Meanwhile, median home values average $247,850 in the 10 with the highest vacancy rates.”
The findings reflect a broader trend in the U.S. housing market: Regions with stronger demand and fewer vacancies are seeing higher home prices, while areas with more empty homes face weaker appreciation.
The data suggest that vacancy rates may serve as a key indicator of housing market health — influencing everything from property values to buyer interest.
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