Data / Rankings / Housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US) / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US)

Barnstable Town, MA had the highest housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US) of 54 cities in 2021, at 27.1%. Melrose, MA had the lowest, at 2.3%. The median was 5.3% and the figure for Massachusetts was 8.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest27.1Barnstable Town, MA
Lowest2.3Melrose, MA
Median5.354 cities
Massachusetts8.9History

All cities, 2021

Barnstable Town, MA: 27.1 %Barnstable Town, MA27.1North Adams, MA: 15.9 %North Adams, MA15.9Amherst Town, MA: 12.4 %Amherst Town, MA12.4Gloucester, MA: 10.9 %Gloucester, MA10.9Pittsfield, MA: 10.6 %Pittsfield, MA10.6Holyoke, MA: 10 %Holyoke, MA10Boston, MA: 9.5 %Boston, MA9.5Attleboro, MA: 8.3 %Attleboro, MA8.3Gardner, MA: 8.2 %Gardner, MA8.2Cambridge, MA: 8.1 %Cambridge, MA8.1Revere, MA: 7.8 %Revere, MA7.8Springfield, MA: 7.7 %Springfield, MA7.7Worcester, MA: 7.6 %Worcester, MA7.6Fall River, MA: 7.4 %Fall River, MA7.4Fitchburg, MA: 7.3 %Fitchburg, MA7.3Southbridge Town, MA: 7.3 %Southbridge Town, MA7.3Newburyport, MA: 7.3 %Newburyport, MA7.3New Bedford, MA: 6.5 %New Bedford, MA6.5Northampton, MA: 6.3 %Northampton, MA6.3Taunton, MA: 6.3 %Taunton, MA6.3Marlborough, MA: 6.2 %Marlborough, MA6.2Chicopee, MA: 6.1 %Chicopee, MA6.1Somerville, MA: 5.9 %Somerville, MA5.9Salem, MA: 5.8 %Salem, MA5.8Medford, MA: 5.7 %Medford, MA5.7Greenfield, MA: 5.6 %Greenfield, MA5.6Palmer Town, MA: 5.3 %Palmer Town, MA5.3Winthrop Town, MA: 5.2 %Winthrop Town, MA5.2Malden, MA: 5.2 %Malden, MA5.2Newton, MA: 5.1 %Newton, MA5.1Woburn, MA: 5 %Woburn, MA5Westfield, MA: 4.9 %Westfield, MA4.9Waltham, MA: 4.9 %Waltham, MA4.9Everett, MA: 4.9 %Everett, MA4.9Quincy, MA: 4.9 %Quincy, MA4.9Brockton, MA: 4.9 %Brockton, MA4.9Braintree Town, MA: 4.7 %Braintree Town, MA4.7Chelsea, MA: 4.3 %Chelsea, MA4.3Bridgewater Town, MA: 4.2 %Bridgewater Town, MA4.2Lowell, MA: 4.2 %Lowell, MA4.2Leominster, MA: 4.1 %Leominster, MA4.1Lawrence, MA: 4 %Lawrence, MA4Haverhill, MA: 3.9 %Haverhill, MA3.9Agawam Town, MA: 3.7 %Agawam Town, MA3.7Weymouth Town, MA: 3.6 %Weymouth Town, MA3.6Lynn, MA: 3.6 %Lynn, MA3.6Framingham, MA: 3.5 %Framingham, MA3.5Randolph Town, MA: 3.2 %Randolph Town, MA3.2Peabody, MA: 3.1 %Peabody, MA3.1Franklin Town, MA: 3.1 %Franklin Town, MA3.1Beverly, MA: 2.9 %Beverly, MA2.9West Springfield Town, MA: 2.7 %West Springfield Town, MA2.7North Attleborough Town, MA: 2.3 %North Attleborough Town, MA2.3Melrose, MA: 2.3 %Melrose, MA2.3Barnstable Town, MA: 27.1 %Barnstable Town, MA27.1North Adams, MA: 15.9 %North Adams, MA15.9Amherst Town, MA: 12.4 %Amherst Town, MA12.4Gloucester, MA: 10.9 %Gloucester, MA10.9Pittsfield, MA: 10.6 %Pittsfield, MA10.6Holyoke, MA: 10 %Holyoke, MA10Boston, MA: 9.5 %Boston, MA9.5Attleboro, MA: 8.3 %Attleboro, MA8.3Gardner, MA: 8.2 %Gardner, MA8.2Cambridge, MA: 8.1 %Cambridge, MA8.1Revere, MA: 7.8 %Revere, MA7.8Springfield, MA: 7.7 %Springfield, MA7.7Worcester, MA: 7.6 %Worcester, MA7.6Fall River, MA: 7.4 %Fall River, MA7.4Fitchburg, MA: 7.3 %Fitchburg, MA7.3Southbridge Town, MA: 7.3 %Southbridge Town, MA7.3Newburyport, MA: 7.3 %Newburyport, MA7.3New Bedford, MA: 6.5 %New Bedford, MA6.5Northampton, MA: 6.3 %Northampton, MA6.3Taunton, MA: 6.3 %Taunton, MA6.3Marlborough, MA: 6.2 %Marlborough, MA6.2Chicopee, MA: 6.1 %Chicopee, MA6.1Somerville, MA: 5.9 %Somerville, MA5.9Salem, MA: 5.8 %Salem, MA5.8Medford, MA: 5.7 %Medford, MA5.7Greenfield, MA: 5.6 %Greenfield, MA5.6Palmer Town, MA: 5.3 %Palmer Town, MA5.3Winthrop Town, MA: 5.2 %Winthrop Town, MA5.2Malden, MA: 5.2 %Malden, MA5.2Newton, MA: 5.1 %Newton, MA5.1Woburn, MA: 5 %Woburn, MA5Westfield, MA: 4.9 %Westfield, MA4.9Waltham, MA: 4.9 %Waltham, MA4.9Everett, MA: 4.9 %Everett, MA4.9Quincy, MA: 4.9 %Quincy, MA4.9Brockton, MA: 4.9 %Brockton, MA4.9Braintree Town, MA: 4.7 %Braintree Town, MA4.7Chelsea, MA: 4.3 %Chelsea, MA4.3Bridgewater Town, MA: 4.2 %Bridgewater Town, MA4.2Lowell, MA: 4.2 %Lowell, MA4.2Leominster, MA: 4.1 %Leominster, MA4.1Lawrence, MA: 4 %Lawrence, MA4Haverhill, MA: 3.9 %Haverhill, MA3.9Agawam Town, MA: 3.7 %Agawam Town, MA3.7Weymouth Town, MA: 3.6 %Weymouth Town, MA3.6Lynn, MA: 3.6 %Lynn, MA3.6Framingham, MA: 3.5 %Framingham, MA3.5Randolph Town, MA: 3.2 %Randolph Town, MA3.2Peabody, MA: 3.1 %Peabody, MA3.1Franklin Town, MA: 3.1 %Franklin Town, MA3.1Beverly, MA: 2.9 %Beverly, MA2.9West Springfield Town, MA: 2.7 %West Springfield Town, MA2.7North Attleborough Town, MA: 2.3 %North Attleborough Town, MA2.3Melrose, MA: 2.3 %Melrose, MA2.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021 (%)
1Barnstable Town, MA27.1
2North Adams, MA15.9
3Amherst Town, MA12.4
4Gloucester, MA10.9
5Pittsfield, MA10.6
6Holyoke, MA10
7Boston, MA9.5
8Attleboro, MA8.3
9Gardner, MA8.2
10Cambridge, MA8.1
11Revere, MA7.8
12Springfield, MA7.7
13Worcester, MA7.6
14Fall River, MA7.4
15Fitchburg, MA7.3
16Southbridge Town, MA7.3
17Newburyport, MA7.3
18New Bedford, MA6.5
19Northampton, MA6.3
20Taunton, MA6.3
21Marlborough, MA6.2
22Chicopee, MA6.1
23Somerville, MA5.9
24Salem, MA5.8
25Medford, MA5.7
26Greenfield, MA5.6
27Palmer Town, MA5.3
28Winthrop Town, MA5.2
29Malden, MA5.2
30Newton, MA5.1
31Woburn, MA5
32Westfield, MA4.9
33Waltham, MA4.9
34Everett, MA4.9
35Quincy, MA4.9
36Brockton, MA4.9
37Braintree Town, MA4.7
38Chelsea, MA4.3
39Bridgewater Town, MA4.2
40Lowell, MA4.2
41Leominster, MA4.1
42Lawrence, MA4
43Haverhill, MA3.9
44Agawam Town, MA3.7
45Weymouth Town, MA3.6
46Lynn, MA3.6
47Framingham, MA3.5
48Randolph Town, MA3.2
49Peabody, MA3.1
50Franklin Town, MA3.1
51Beverly, MA2.9
52West Springfield Town, MA2.7
53North Attleborough Town, MA2.3
54Melrose, MA2.3

Other periods

About this ranking

Vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units.

More on how it is measured
  • Vacant units include those for rent or for sale, rented or sold but not yet occupied, for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, for migrant workers, and other vacant units.
  • United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

This gross rate counts seasonal and other off-market vacant units, so it is much higher than the rental and homeowner vacancy rates of the Housing Vacancy Survey (rental_vacancy_rate and homeowner_vacancy_rate) and cannot be compared with them. Counties with many holiday homes have high rates.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. 4 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/massachusetts-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US)?

Barnstable Town, MA, with 27.1% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US)?

Melrose, MA, with 2.3% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25002: vacant housing units as a percentage of all housing units, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 4 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

Housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US): other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings