The national rental vacancy rate was 7.3% in the second quarter of 2026, virtually unchanged from the first quarter and not statistically different from a year earlier, the Census Bureau reported.
The second-quarter 2025 rental vacancy estimate was 7.0%, while the first-quarter 2026 estimate was 7.3%. Sampling uncertainty means the apparent annual difference should not be treated as a confirmed change.
The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%, compared with 1.1% in both the second quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. Census said neither comparison was statistically different.
The homeownership rate was 65.0%, virtually the same as the 65.0% estimate a year earlier and not statistically different from the 65.3% first-quarter estimate.
Rental vacancy measures the share of rental inventory that is vacant and available for rent. Homeowner vacancy measures vacant units available for sale as a share of homeowner inventory.
National stability can coexist with substantial differences among regions, metro areas and property types. Local rents, construction, household formation and financing conditions do not move uniformly.
The estimates come from the Current Population Survey and Housing Vacancy Survey and are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. Census explicitly evaluates whether quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year differences are statistically meaningful.
Vacancy rates also do not directly measure affordability. A market can have available units that many households cannot afford, while a low vacancy rate can indicate tight supply without identifying the cause.
The second-quarter release therefore describes a national market with little confirmed movement in its broad tenure indicators: rental vacancy at 7.3%, homeowner vacancy at 1.2% and homeownership at 65.0%.