Fact-check analysisVerified as of July 19, 2025Curated by FactVerify
Mostly True

10% of housing in US is artificially vacant

Approximately 10% of housing units in the U.S. Are vacant, but this figure includes various types of vacancies, not all of which are 'artificial' or intentionally kept empty.

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Source: factverify.com

At a glance

Key Evidence

Verified July 19, 2025
The reporting

What the Evidence Shows

The claim that 10% of housing in the U.S. Is artificially vacant requires unpacking. Data from multiple authoritative sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and housing research organizations, indicate that the overall vacancy rate for housing units hovers around 10% to 10. 5% in recent years.usafacts.orgusafacts.orgHow many vacant homes are there in the US?todayshomeowner.comtodayshomeowner.comMillions of U.S. Homes Are Sitting Vacant, So Why Are Homes Still So Expensive?...

However, this vacancy rate encompasses all vacant units regardless of reason, including homes for sale, homes for rent, seasonal or vacation homes, homes under repair, and those genuinely unoccupied for other reasons. The term 'artificially vacant' implies intentional withholding from the market or purposeful vacancy to manipulate supply or prices, which is a narrower subset of total vacancies and is not directly quantified in these statistics.

For example, about one-third of vacant homes are vacation properties,census.govcensus.govIn 2020, 9.7% of Housing Was Vacant, Down From 11.4% in 2010 which may be intentionally left unoccupied seasonally but are not necessarily 'artificially' vacant in an economic manipulation sense. Additionally, some vacancies reflect normal market dynamics such as turnover periods between tenants or sales.

Therefore, while the overall vacancy rate is close to 10%, labeling all these as 'artificially vacant' overstates the case without further specification or evidence. The claim is mostly accurate regarding the percentage but misleading in implying all vacancies are artificial.

Primary trail

Verified Sources4

How many vacant homes are there in the US?

usafacts.org
Open source

Debunking NIMBYism: A Closer Look at Vacant Housing Units

nmhc.org
Open source

In 2020, 9.7% of Housing Was Vacant, Down From 11.4% in 2010

census.gov
Open source
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