By Na Zhao | Eye On Housing
According to NAHB estimates, the total count of second homes was 7.5 million, accounting for 5.5% of the total housing stock in 2018, the most recent data available. As of 2018, the state with the largest stock of second homes was Florida (1.1 million), accounting for 14.5% of all second homes. South Dakota had the smallest stock, approximately 20,000 second homes, among all 50 states. Half of the nation’s second homes can be found in nine states: Florida, California, New York, Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
In-depth analysis of the county level data shows that the concentration of second homes is not simply restricted to conventional locations like beachfront areas. There were 932 counties spread over 49 states, where second homes accounted for at least 10% of the local housing stock. Only Connecticut and Washington D.C. were exceptions. 384 counties, 12% of all counties in the U.S., had at least 20% of housing units that were second homes.