Vacant Homes by State: 1.9 Million Empty Properties Ranked

Vacant is also not the same thing as abandoned. A vacant house has an owner who is reachable and who still pays the taxes.

An abandoned house has usually been walked away from, and the title is often a mess. Vacant is the better starting point for most beginners, and it is a much larger pool. If you want the harder version, we cover investing in vacant and abandoned properties separately.

Where the Vacant Homes Are

The table below ranks the top 15 states, pulled in August 2026. Together they hold 1,321,535 properties, or 66.5% of the national total.

How to Get From 1.9 Million Down to a Callable List

Two million properties is not a list. It is a starting universe. The work is narrowing it.

Here is the order I would use:

1. Pick a geography you can service. Start with a county or a set of zip codes, not a state. State-level numbers are useful for deciding where to operate, not for pulling leads.
2. Add a second signal. An empty house owned by someone who lives out of state is a much stronger lead than an empty house alone. Layer in absentee owner data and the list shrinks fast.
3. Add equity. An owner with deep equity can accept a discounted cash offer and still walk away with money. An owner who is underwater cannot, no matter how motivated they sound.
4. Skip trace and start calling. A list you never contact is worth zero.

Three stacked signals in one county will usually leave you a few hundred names. That is a workable month of outreach for one person.

If you want the tactical version of this process, including how to pull and export the list, we walk through vacant property leads by state step by step. And if you are still deciding which signals to prioritize, our list of 23 ways to identify motivated sellers is a good place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions