Homeownership Rate Inches Higher

According to research from real estate marketing platform Realtor.com, the nationwide homeownership rate in Q-4 2025 reached 65.7%, the highest reading of the year and up from 65.3% the previous quarter. At the same time, the national homeowner vacancy rate held steady at 1.2% in Q-4, unchanged from the previous quarter.

Where is the homeownership rate the highest?

When it comes to regional homeownership rates, more affordable market areas take the lead. In the Midwest, the rate in Q-4 2025 was at 71.3%, followed by the South at 66.5%, the Northeast at 63.1%, and the West at 60.8%.

Where are homeownership vacancies the highest?

Homeowner vacancy was the highest in the South at 1.5% in Q-4 2025, followed by the West at 1.2%, the Northeast at 1%, and the Midwest at 0.7%. 

Rental vacancies are growing

With the recent addition of more rental inventory, the vacancy for that sector also grew slightly in Q-4 2025, to 7.2%. That's an increase of just 0.1 percentage points from the previous quarter and up 0.3 percentage points from the same time the previous year.

Rental vacancy recorded a similar regional pattern as the rate for homeowners, with the South leading at 9.1%, followed by the Midwest at 7.2%, the West at 5.5%, and the Northeast at 5.2%.