Data / Rankings / Housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US) / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US)

Avery County had the highest housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US) of 100 counties in 2022, at 53.4%. Union County had the lowest, at 5.3%. The median was 14.9% and the figure for North Carolina was 13.4%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest53.4Avery County
Lowest5.3Union County
Median14.9100 counties
North Carolina13.4History

Map of counties, 2022

Alamance County: 9 %Alexander County: 14.2 %Alleghany County: 36.1 %Anson County: 17 %Ashe County: 30.6 %Avery County: 53.4 %Beaufort County: 21.9 %Bertie County: 22.5 %Bladen County: 25.8 %Brunswick County: 32.7 %Buncombe County: 20.9 %Burke County: 11.5 %Cabarrus County: 12.7 %Caldwell County: 13.5 %Camden County: 7.2 %Carteret County: 40.5 %Caswell County: 18.9 %Catawba County: 9.3 %Chatham County: 9 %Cherokee County: 29.2 %Chowan County: 13.2 %Clay County: 33.2 %Cleveland County: 16.5 %Columbus County: 18.9 %Craven County: 12.9 %Cumberland County: 11.2 %Currituck County: 31.5 %Dare County: 53.4 %Davidson County: 9.7 %Davie County: 12.6 %Duplin County: 15 %Durham County: 6.9 %Edgecombe County: 16.7 %Forsyth County: 10.5 %Franklin County: 11.1 %Gaston County: 8.3 %Gates County: 14 %Graham County: 39.7 %Granville County: 11.7 %Greene County: 13.9 %Guilford County: 8.8 %Halifax County: 19 %Harnett County: 10.1 %Haywood County: 24.5 %Henderson County: 12.8 %Hertford County: 15.3 %Hoke County: 9.1 %Hyde County: 31.9 %Iredell County: 9.5 %Jackson County: 34.2 %Johnston County: 6.9 %Jones County: 18.3 %Lee County: 9.5 %Lenoir County: 15.1 %Lincoln County: 7.4 %McDowell County: 14.7 %Macon County: 35.4 %Madison County: 23.9 %Martin County: 16 %Mecklenburg County: 7.2 %Mitchell County: 25.2 %Montgomery County: 36.3 %Moore County: 14 %Nash County: 12.8 %New Hanover County: 12.8 %Northampton County: 29.9 %Onslow County: 16 %Orange County: 9.3 %Pamlico County: 28.8 %Pasquotank County: 11.6 %Pender County: 23.2 %Perquimans County: 19.4 %Person County: 12.2 %Pitt County: 10.7 %Polk County: 21.5 %Randolph County: 10.2 %Richmond County: 16 %Robeson County: 12.9 %Rockingham County: 11.2 %Rowan County: 10.9 %Rutherford County: 19.5 %Sampson County: 16.7 %Scotland County: 15.2 %Stanly County: 14.5 %Stokes County: 10.8 %Surry County: 13.6 %Swain County: 32.7 %Transylvania County: 24.7 %Tyrrell County: 26.8 %Union County: 5.3 %Vance County: 16.9 %Wake County: 7.8 %Warren County: 32.8 %Washington County: 19.2 %Watauga County: 35.4 %Wayne County: 11.2 %Wilkes County: 14.2 %Wilson County: 11.4 %Yadkin County: 13 %Yancey County: 30.2 %
  • Under 9.9
  • 9.9 to 13
  • 13 to 15
  • 15 to 19
  • 19 to 30
  • 30 and over
%, 2022. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Avery County: 53.4 %Avery County53.4Dare County: 53.4 %Dare County53.4Carteret County: 40.5 %Carteret County40.5Graham County: 39.7 %Graham County39.7Montgomery County: 36.3 %Montgomery County36.3Alleghany County: 36.1 %Alleghany County36.1Macon County: 35.4 %Macon County35.4Watauga County: 35.4 %Watauga County35.4Jackson County: 34.2 %Jackson County34.2Clay County: 33.2 %Clay County33.2Warren County: 32.8 %Warren County32.8Swain County: 32.7 %Swain County32.7Brunswick County: 32.7 %Brunswick County32.7Hyde County: 31.9 %Hyde County31.9Currituck County: 31.5 %Currituck County31.5Ashe County: 30.6 %Ashe County30.6Yancey County: 30.2 %Yancey County30.2Northampton County: 29.9 %Northampton County29.9Cherokee County: 29.2 %Cherokee County29.2Pamlico County: 28.8 %Pamlico County28.8Tyrrell County: 26.8 %Tyrrell County26.8Bladen County: 25.8 %Bladen County25.8Mitchell County: 25.2 %Mitchell County25.2Transylvania County: 24.7 %Transylvania County24.7Haywood County: 24.5 %Haywood County24.5Madison County: 23.9 %Madison County23.9Pender County: 23.2 %Pender County23.2Bertie County: 22.5 %Bertie County22.5Beaufort County: 21.9 %Beaufort County21.9Polk County: 21.5 %Polk County21.5Buncombe County: 20.9 %Buncombe County20.9Rutherford County: 19.5 %Rutherford County19.5Perquimans County: 19.4 %Perquimans County19.4Washington County: 19.2 %Washington County19.2Halifax County: 19 %Halifax County19Caswell County: 18.9 %Caswell County18.9Columbus County: 18.9 %Columbus County18.9Jones County: 18.3 %Jones County18.3Anson County: 17 %Anson County17Vance County: 16.9 %Vance County16.9Avery County: 53.4 %Avery County53.4Dare County: 53.4 %Dare County53.4Carteret County: 40.5 %Carteret County40.5Graham County: 39.7 %Graham County39.7Montgomery County: 36.3 %Montgomery County36.3Alleghany County: 36.1 %Alleghany County36.1Macon County: 35.4 %Macon County35.4Watauga County: 35.4 %Watauga County35.4Jackson County: 34.2 %Jackson County34.2Clay County: 33.2 %Clay County33.2Warren County: 32.8 %Warren County32.8Swain County: 32.7 %Swain County32.7Brunswick County: 32.7 %Brunswick County32.7Hyde County: 31.9 %Hyde County31.9Currituck County: 31.5 %Currituck County31.5Ashe County: 30.6 %Ashe County30.6Yancey County: 30.2 %Yancey County30.2Northampton County: 29.9 %Northampton County29.9Cherokee County: 29.2 %Cherokee County29.2Pamlico County: 28.8 %Pamlico County28.8Tyrrell County: 26.8 %Tyrrell County26.8Bladen County: 25.8 %Bladen County25.8Mitchell County: 25.2 %Mitchell County25.2Transylvania County: 24.7 %Transylvania County24.7Haywood County: 24.5 %Haywood County24.5Madison County: 23.9 %Madison County23.9Pender County: 23.2 %Pender County23.2Bertie County: 22.5 %Bertie County22.5Beaufort County: 21.9 %Beaufort County21.9Polk County: 21.5 %Polk County21.5Buncombe County: 20.9 %Buncombe County20.9Rutherford County: 19.5 %Rutherford County19.5Perquimans County: 19.4 %Perquimans County19.4Washington County: 19.2 %Washington County19.2Halifax County: 19 %Halifax County19Caswell County: 18.9 %Caswell County18.9Columbus County: 18.9 %Columbus County18.9Jones County: 18.3 %Jones County18.3Anson County: 17 %Anson County17Vance County: 16.9 %Vance County16.9
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Avery County53.4-0.5 pts
2Dare County53.4-0.3 pts
3Carteret County40.5-0.1 pts
4Graham County39.7-1 pts
5Montgomery County36.3-2.7 pts
6Alleghany County36.1-2.1 pts
7Macon County35.4-0.5 pts
8Watauga County35.4-0.8 pts
9Jackson County34.2-2.2 pts
10Clay County33.2+3.8 pts
11Warren County32.8+0.8 pts
12Swain County32.7-1.7 pts
13Brunswick County32.7-1.2 pts
14Hyde County31.9-1 pts
15Currituck County31.5-0.9 pts
16Ashe County30.6-0.5 pts
17Yancey County30.2-1.9 pts
18Northampton County29.9-0.9 pts
19Cherokee County29.2-1.6 pts
20Pamlico County28.8-0.1 pts
21Tyrrell County26.8+0.3 pts
22Bladen County25.8+0.1 pts
23Mitchell County25.2-0.4 pts
24Transylvania County24.7-1.1 pts
25Haywood County24.5+0.2 pts
26Madison County23.9-0.8 pts
27Pender County23.2-0.4 pts
28Bertie County22.5+2 pts
29Beaufort County21.9-1.6 pts
30Polk County21.5+0.6 pts
31Buncombe County20.9+1.9 pts
32Rutherford County19.5-1 pts
33Perquimans County19.4+2.5 pts
34Washington County19.2+0.3 pts
35Halifax County19-0.4 pts
36Caswell County18.9+0.9 pts
37Columbus County18.9-0.2 pts
38Jones County18.3-1 pts
39Anson County17+0.6 pts
40Vance County16.9-0.3 pts
41Edgecombe County16.7-0.6 pts
41Sampson County16.7-0.5 pts
43Cleveland County16.5+0.6 pts
44Onslow County16-0.7 pts
44Richmond County16-1.6 pts
46Martin County16-0.9 pts
47Hertford County15.3-1.4 pts
48Scotland County15.2-0.2 pts
49Lenoir County15.1+0.3 pts
50Duplin County15-2.3 pts
51McDowell County14.7+0.5 pts
52Stanly County14.5+0.1 pts
53Alexander County14.2-1.5 pts
54Wilkes County14.2-0.1 pts
55Moore County14-1.2 pts
56Gates County14-0.1 pts
57Greene County13.9-0.3 pts
58Surry County13.6-1 pts
59Caldwell County13.5-0.6 pts
60Chowan County13.2+0.9 pts
61Yadkin County13+0.1 pts
62Robeson County12.9-0.7 pts
63Craven County12.9-0.8 pts
64Henderson County12.8-1.1 pts
64New Hanover County12.8-0.2 pts
66Nash County12.8-0.3 pts
67Cabarrus County12.7+0.1 pts
68Davie County12.6+0.3 pts
69Person County12.2-0.8 pts
70Granville County11.7-0.8 pts
71Pasquotank County11.6-1.6 pts
72Burke County11.5-1.8 pts
73Wilson County11.4-0.3 pts
74Wayne County11.2-0 pts
75Rockingham County11.2-1.6 pts
76Cumberland County11.2-1 pts
77Franklin County11.1-1 pts
78Rowan County10.9-0.9 pts
79Stokes County10.8-1 pts
80Pitt County10.7-0.3 pts
81Forsyth County10.5-0.3 pts
82Randolph County10.2+0.2 pts
83Harnett County10.1-0.3 pts
84Davidson County9.7-0.3 pts
85Iredell County9.5-0.1 pts
86Lee County9.5-0.1 pts
87Catawba County9.3-0.5 pts
88Orange County9.3+0.1 pts
89Hoke County9.1-2.9 pts
90Alamance County9+0.3 pts
91Chatham County9-0.8 pts
92Guilford County8.8-0.6 pts
93Gaston County8.3-0.3 pts
94Wake County7.8+0.6 pts
95Lincoln County7.4-0.5 pts
96Mecklenburg County7.20 pts
97Camden County7.2-0.8 pts
98Durham County6.9+0.3 pts
98Johnston County6.9-0.5 pts
100Union County5.3-0.1 pts

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 counties are compared on one definition. 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 (Counties in North Carolina by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, Counties in North Carolina by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25002.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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. Counties in North Carolina by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25002.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.

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, Counties in North Carolina by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25002.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2022,
  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: Counties in North Carolina by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25002.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022. 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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: Counties in North Carolina by housing vacancy rate, all vacant units (US), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25002.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/housing-vacancy-rate-all-vacant-units/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.
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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Avery County, with 53.4% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Union County, with 5.3% in 2022.

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. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings